Canvas of War:: Painting the Canadian Experience 1914-1945

From the vaults of the Canadian War Museum comes this selection of 110 seldom-seen images from the First and Second World Wars, drawn from a collection that includes nearly 13,000 paintings and drawings chronicling Canadas military history. Some of the countrys finest artists--including A.Y. Jackson, Arthur Lismer, Mabel May, Fred Valey and later Alex Colville, Charles Comfort, Pegi Nicol MacLeod and Jack Shadbolt--recorded Canadas experience of war from battlegrounds in the air, on land and at sea, on the homefront and abroad. Interwoven here with a compelling text, these works of art present a rich, varied and personal view of Canadians at war. While the images poignantly illustrate battle-weary soldiers capturing Vimy Ridge, fighter aircraft streaking across the open sky, desperate sailors drowning in choppy waters, euphoric, flag-waving crowds celebrating the armistice, military and art experts Dean Oliver and Laura Brandon explore the significance of the events, and unveil the political intrigue and strategic planning that took place behind the front lines. In concise and lucid prose interspersed with excerpts from the artistsand soldiersown accounts, the authors reveal the links between Canadas experience in both world wars and the countrys social, political, economic and artistic revolution. For those interested in art, in history and in the Canadian experience of war, Canvas of War is essential reading.