A beautifully illustrated exploration of what the arts and artists can tell us about being Canadian and being ourselves.
Description
When Vincent Massey wrote On Being Canadian in 1948, he acknowledged the importance of the arts to education and citizenship. He did not consider what the arts can tell us about being Canadian. In On the Art of Being Canadian, Sherrill Grace traces how painters, writers, and filmmakers have shaped Canadian identity in three fields of representation that are staples of Canadian culture – the North, iconic national figures, and war. By telling stories in their chosen media and genres about life here or about events and figures from the past, she shows that artists help us to understand the Canadian landscape and to create a shared history.
Reviews
On the Art of Being Canadian is a stimulating and often challenging work of great intellectual depth, which is a great pleasure to read.
- Martin Loschnigg
This is an important work for all academic libraries. Highly recommended.
- L.J. Sherlock, Victoria Library