Canadian art

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Canadian art
Collectives Beaver Hall Group Canadian Art Club Canadian Group of Painters ChromaZone/Chromatique Collective Eastern Group of Painters Federation of Canadian Artists General Idea Group of Seven Jewish Painters of Montreal The Non-Figurative Artists' Association of Montreal Ontario Society of Artists Painters Eleven Native Indian Artists Inc Regina Five
Movements Les Automatistes London Regionalism Plasticien Indigenous Inuit art Vancouver School
Styles Formline art NSCAD conceptual art Woodlands style
Media Canadian Art Canadian Forum Canadian Review of Music and Art FILE Megazine Fuse Parachute Vanguard Awards
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Canadian art refers to the visual (including painting, photography, and printmaking) as well as plastic arts (such as sculpture) originating from the geographical area of contemporary Canada. Art in Canada is marked by thousands of years of habitation by Indigenous peoples followed by waves of immigration which included artists of European origins and subsequently by artists with heritage from countries all around the world. The nature of Canadian art reflects these diverse origins, as artists have taken their traditions and adapted these influences to reflect the reality of their lives in Canada.

The Government of Canada has played a role in the development of Canadian culture, through the department of Canadian Heritage by giving grants to art galleries,^[1] as well as establishing and funding art schools and colleges across the country, and through the Canada Council for the Arts (established in 1957), the national public arts funder, helping artists, art galleries and periodicals, thus contributing to the visual exposure of Canada`s heritage.^[2] The Canada Council Art Bank also helps artists by buying and publicizing their work. The Canadian government has sponsored four official war art programs: the First World War Canadian War Memorials Fund (CWMF), the Second World War Canadian War Records (CWR), the Cold War Canadian Armed Forces Civilian Artists Program (CAFCAP), and the current Canadian Forces Artists Program (CFAP).^[3]

The Group of Seven is often considered the first uniquely Canadian artistic group and style of painting;^[4] however, this claim is challenged by scholars and artists.^[5] Historically, the Catholic Church was the primary patron of art in early Canada, especially Quebec, and in later times, artists have combined British, French, and American artistic traditions, at times embracing European styles and at the same time, working to promote nationalism. Canadian art remains the combination of these various influences.