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Canadian Monsters and Mythical Creatures

2022-12-19 | Art | No Comments

Have you ever heard of Ogopogo? Or the Nokomis? These are just some of the monsters and mythical creatures that are part of Canadian folklore. For centuries, stories have been passed down about these mysterious beings, and they continue to capture the imaginations of people today. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of these popular Canadian creatures and try to understand why they hold such an appeal. So read on if you’re curious to learn more about Canada’s legendary monsters!

The Wendigo – a creature from Algonquin mythology that is said to live in the forests of Canada

Said to inhabit Canada’s vast northern forests, a creature known as the Wendigo has captured the imagination of people across North America. This mythical figure has been part of Algonquin legends and folklore for centuries, regarded with terror due to its reputedly horrific appearance. Yet, contrary to what one might assume from its description, the Wendigo is actually said to be a force for good – one that can impart wisdom and secrets about how best to survive in harsh and hostile environments. As such, this creature from mystifying mythology has come to symbolize strength, perseverance and courage in native cultures since time immemorial.

The Ogopogo – a lake monster that is said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia

The Ogopogo is a legendary creature that has been said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia. For several hundred years, Native tribes living around the lake have passed down stories of its existence and sightings were reported to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police over one hundred years ago. Described as having a horse-like head, long body and coils or humps protruding from the surface of the water, this mysterious creature is believed to remain around Squally Point in Peachland where log booms were known to stay afloat until 1901. Over the years there have been several scientific efforts conducted to track the Ogopogo and others are hopeful that further evidence will give some credence to this fascinating legend.

The Nain Rouge – a red dwarf from French Canadian folklore that is said to foretell disaster

The Nain Rouge, a mysterious red dwarf from French Canadian folklore that is said to be an omen of disaster, has been haunting the people of Detroit since its establishment. Many believe that it predicted the Great Fire of 1805 and the 1967 uprising in its own ethereal way, appearing whenever a major event or shift in the city’s history was about to unfold. Legends say those brave enough to confront it on Marche du Nain Rouge Day each year can alter events and shape Detroit’s future path. However, much like a butterfly effect, encounters with the Nain Rouge may bring both good and bad fortune as its unpredictable presence changes the course of history.

The Kraken – a giant sea monster that is said to attack ships and sailors

Tales of the Kraken have been passed down through generations, each one a little different from the last. This legendary beast is said to lurk in oceans depths, waiting for its chance to attack unsuspecting ships and sailors. Depending on the origin story, it can range in size from that of an island to larger than any giant squid ever documented. But one thing is always the same; this monster is not to be trifled with! There are no known accounts of anyone successfully vanquishing the Kraken, so they remain an object of fascination and uncertainty to this day.

The Big Foot or Sasquatch – a ape-like creature that is said to live in the forests of North America

Many people all around the world have reported seeing a mysterious, ape-like creature living in the deep forests of North America. This creature has been known by many names — Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti among others, with some cultures believing it to be supernatural or spiritual in nature. Fresh stories continue to this day about eyewitness accounts of massive footprints that mysteriously appear in remote locations of the Pacific Northwest. Whether true or not, it sure does cause an exciting stir among adventurers who dream of encountering such a mysterious beast and uncovering its secrets.

There are many creatures that are said to inhabit the forests and lakes of North America. Some of these creatures, such as the Wendigo and the Ogopogo, have been part of mythology for centuries. Others, such as the Nain Rouge and the Kraken, are more recent additions to folklore. However, all of these creatures share one thing in common: they have all been reported sightings by people who believe they have seen them. Whether or not you believe in these mythical beasts is up to you, but it is undeniable that they have captured the imaginations of people for generations.

Top 10 Canadian Artists of All Time

2022-03-02 | Art | No Comments

Canada is known for quite a few things including its popping music scene. Music in Canada has evolved since the early 80s and right now, the country has some top musical artists covering every possible genre. Interestingly, it’s not just the music scene that kept the Canadian entertainment sector thriving. We also have a bunch of excellent Canadian movie artists and directors who stand out with their stellar works.

In the following few sections, we will discuss some of these top Canadian artists who have not just ruled the music scene but also other spheres of the Canadian and global entertainment industry.

1. SHAWN MENDES

A quintessential icon for Gen Z, Shawn first enjoyed some popularity from a leading social media platform Vine, where he had already attracted a sizeable fan base. Over the next few years, he worked with a bunch of record producers and by 2015, Shawn’s first single titches’ ruled the American charts. His music style ranges from classic to pup with subtle folk and rock tones.

2. KEANU REEVES

Popularly known as the good guy, Keanu made his debut in 1989. Since then, there’s been no looking back as worked in multiple movies across all genres including (but not limited to) action, thrillers, true crime and crime, drama, and also some aspects of comedy. Popular movies of Keanu including Speed, Matrix, and John Wick have consistently been successful among audiences and critics alike.

3. DRAKE

The man behind the Toronto Sound Drake is an iconic rapper who is a credit for elevating the position of Canadian artists on a global platform. He started his career in 2007 which was followed by his immediate stint at the show Degrassi.

While Drake performed indie rapping during the first few years of his career, he also specializes in soulful melodies and hip hops.

4. JAMES CAMERON

A leading filmmaker from Canada, Cameron is a specialist when it comes to grandiose, science-fiction flicks. Notable contributions include Terminator (Part and I and II), True Lies, Avatar, and the Abyss among others. In 1997 he directed the Titanic which landed him several accolades in the Academy Awards.

5. JUSTIN BIEBER

If we are talking Canadian artists, we absolutely cannot miss Justin Bieber. Debuting with his first single aby’, Justin has come a long way since then. Over the years, he has won 14 Guinness Book World records and in 2016, he was the first musician who grabbed the maximum views (10 million) on Vevo.

6. JIM CAREY

When it comes to one of the most versatile Canadian artists, Jim Carey takes the first spot. The actor is extremely nuanced in his performances and has won several accolades for the same. His top critically acclaimed movies include The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show.

7. DAVID CRONENBERG

Cronenberg is a leading film director from Canada and over the years he also donned the roles of a director, writer, and stage actor. His specialization is in the body horror genre and his movies grab several facets of horrors, changes, and technology among others. Top movies include Shivers, A History of Violence, Scanners, and A Dangerous Method.

8. RYAN REYNOLDS

This is yet another top Canadian artist who quickly shot to fame and now enjoys his much-deserved spot in the Hollywood and Canadian film industry. Reynolds is a versatile actor who touches across multiple genres including romance, comedy, and thrillers among others. Top contributions include the Green Lantern and the Deadpool series.

9. CARLY RAE JEPSEN

If you’ve hummed to the tunes of, Call Me Maybe, you probably know Carly Rae Jepsen. Carly is both a singer and a writer for her songs. She first joined the Canadian music industry through her performance in the 2007 installment of Canadian Idol where she won the third position. Carly’s music follows a combination of folk and country music patterns.

10. CELINE DIONE

One of the most popular Canadian singers of all time, Celine Dione first came under the scanner with her chart-breaking single My Heart Will Go On. Since then, she never had to look back and as of now, she has five Grammy awards in her kitty. Ashes and Think Twice were some of her other notable numbers.

Top 11 Art Essay Writing Tips 2022

2022-03-02 | Art | No Comments

Art is a subject that has captured the human imagination for millennia. It’s one thing to read about art and another to see it. Still, it’s an entirely different experience to get up close and personal with a work of art, examine the details, and experience how light falls across brush strokes and the artist’s hand behind it all.

If you’ve been assigned an essay on visual art in 2022, you have many topics to choose from. We’ve compiled a few tips on writing great essays on visual art below to aid in your research. But you still need to remember that you have a choice to use an easy essay writing service that will handle everything.

1. Come Up with an Outline

First of all, you should know that you don’t have to start writing your essay right away. It’s better to wait until you’ve done all the necessary research and have come up with a full outline for your essay. An outline will help you focus on the topic and organize your materials to create a coherent text that meets all the requirements of the art essay format and says everything you want it to say.

2. Ensure to Have a Strong Introduction

An introduction is where you will set the tone for your whole paper. So, make sure it’s catchy and interesting enough to make the audience want to keep reading. And finally, don’t forget to incorporate a thesis statement that clearly states what your essay is about and what idea or argument you will prove or support in your paper.

3. A Good Art Essay Is Built on Knowledge of the Subject and Good Research

Before you start writing, make sure you have performed adequate research on the topic and have gathered enough supporting materials for your arguments or claims. Remember that merely having an idea isn’t enough—you’ll need to rely on facts and evidence to be able to persuade readers into agreeing with your point of view.

4. Write a Catchy Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the framework of your art essay. It guides the reader through the paper and shows how you interpret your artistic subject based on evidence. An excellent thesis statement should be brief, clear, and arguable. It should also answer any research questions that you have posted in your introduction.

5. Visual Elements You Should Be Familiar with Include Color, Line, Shape, Size, and Texture

Visual elements are key to developing a strong analysis in art essay writing. Color helps us understand the symbolism in the artwork, while shape and line give us information about perspective. When analyzing texture, it’s essential to look at how the artist created it. Each element adds something unique to a work of art, so make sure you cover them all.

6. Begin Your Art Essay with a General Description of the Subject Matter

An art essay is not complete without a general description of your subject matter. You can start with where it was created or who created it and then move on to concepts like style and theme. Just be sure to include enough description for your reader to get a full picture of what you’re writing about without getting bogged down by unnecessary details.

7. Discuss the Historical and Cultural Importance of the Artwork

This is your chance to show off your knowledge of the topic and impress your professor with your understanding of the historical and cultural context of the work. Your professor will want to see that you know why it’s important, and by discussing this, you’ll help him, or she understand why it’s important too.

8. Refer to Literary Sources in Your Analysis

When writing about artwork, one needs to be careful in using literary sources because they can sometimes lead you astray. Be sure that any literary sources you refer to support your interpretation of the artwork (and not vice versa).

9. Describe How You Perceived the Artwork and Explain Why

Describing a work of art is a simple yet interesting task. However, students need to understand that art is not all about creativity. Some students may be tempted to use vivid language and fancy imagery; however, an art essay should provide a detailed analysis of the artwork rather than simply give one’s opinion.

Therefore, your essay should provide a good insight into what you perceived when looking at the artwork and why you perceived it that way. It is also possible to mention some emotional feelings you experienced while observing the artwork. For instance, if the piece of art made you feel surprised or happy, you can mention this in your essay.

10. Allow Time to Proofread Your Writing before Handing It In

You should always allow enough time to proofread your essay before handing it in. This will help you improve the quality of your writing by eliminating grammatical errors and fixing any other issues that might have been overlooked during the drafting stage. Additionally, it will help ensure that you have met your assignment requirements by checking whether or not all the questions asked have been answered fully and completely.

11. Conclude Your Art Essay with a Summary of the Thesis and Main Points

You should conclude your essay by summarizing the thesis and main points you made when addressing the question asked in your introduction paragraph. This will help demonstrate that you have thoroughly addressed all parts of the question asked within your paper and assisted in providing a clear understanding for readers about what was learned from this experience (whether positive or negative).

Wrapping Up

In our current digital age, it’s easy to forget that art is still being created and appreciated in the physical world. Whether we’re talking about a painting hanging in a museum or an installation piece that takes up multiple gallery rooms, art can be a powerful medium for communicating ideas. To effectively write about art in 2022, you’ll need to develop a concrete thesis statement and draw evidence from the artwork itself to support your ideas. This article provides top easy writing tips.

Indigenous Art

2021-02-17 | Art | No Comments

architecture

Indigenous peoples produced art in what is now Canada, thousands of years before the arrival of European settler colonists and the eventual establishment of Canada as a nation-state. Like the peoples who produced them, Indigenous art traditions covered territories extending beyond the current national borders between Canada and the United States. Traditional Native art traditions are often categorized by art historians according to cultural, linguistic, or regional groups, the most common regional distinctions being: Northwest Coast, Northwest Plateau, Plains, Eastern Woodlands, Subarctic, and Arctic. As might be expected, artistic traditions vary greatly among and within these diverse groups. One thing that distinguishes indigenous art from European traditions is an orientation toward art that tends to be portable and designed for the body rather than for architecture, although even this is only a general tendency and not an absolute rule. Indigenous fine art is also often used in conjunction with other art forms, for example, masks and rattlesnakes play an important role in ceremonialism, which also includes dance, storytelling, and music.

Many of the works of art in museum collections date from the period following contact with Europeans and attest to the creative borrowing and adaptation of European trade goods, such as metal and glass beads. Distinct mestizo cultures that arose as a result of intercultural relations with Europeans also contributed to new culturally hybrid art forms. During the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, the Canadian government pursued a vigorous policy of assimilation toward indigenous peoples. One instrument of this policy was the Indian Act, which banned manifestations of traditional religion and governance, such as the Sun Dance and Potlatch, including related works of art. It was not until the 1950s and ’60s that Indigenous artists such as Mungo Martin, Bill Reed and Norval Morrisseau began to publicly renew, and in some cases reinvent, local artistic traditions. Canada now has many Indigenous artists practicing in all media, and two Indigenous artists, such as Edward Poitras and Rebecca Belmore, who represented Canada at the prestigious Venice Biennale in 1995 and 2005, respectively.

The Golden Age of Lower Canada

2021-02-15 | Art | No Comments

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In the late 18th century art in Lower Canada began to flourish thanks to more commissions from the public and church building. Portrait painting, in particular, is known from this period because it allowed for a higher degree of innovation and change. François Bayerger was one of the first artists of this generation. He returned to Montreal in 1781 after studying sculpture in London and Paris. The Rococo Style influenced several artists from Lower Canada who aspired to light and carefree painting. Bayerger, however, did not embrace the Rococo style, instead focusing on sculpture and teaching under the influence of Neoclassicism.

Artists in Lower Canada developed independently of France, as the connection was severed during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. While not living in Lower Canada, William Burchie participated in the artistic growth of the period. He immigrated to Canada from Saxony and executed several important portraits of leading figures. For example, he painted three portraits of Joseph Brant and his most famous work, The Wolseley Family, painted in Quebec in 1808-09. As the title suggests, the work features full-length portraits of all members of the Wolseley family. It is marked in part by the elaborate arrangement of the figures, the decorative floor panels, and the detailed view of the landscape through an open window. Art historian J. Russell Harper believes that this era of Canadian art was the first in which a truly Canadian character developed.

The second generation of artists continued this flowering of artistic growth from about the 1820s. Joseph Legare was trained as a painter-decorator and copyist. This did not hinder his artistic creativity, however, as he was one of the first Canadian artists to depict the local landscape. Legare is best known for his depictions of disasters such as cholera epidemics, rock slides and fires. Antoine Plamondon Studied at Legare and became the first French-Canadian artist to do so in 48 years. Plamondon became the most successful painter of the period, mainly through religious and portrait commissions.

Nationalism and the Group of Seven

2021-01-06 | Art | No Comments

queens-park

A group of seven sought to develop the first distinctly Canadian style of painting. Some of them worked as commercial illustrators, especially at Grip in Toronto, and were influenced by the current Art Nouveau style popular in Europe. They painted studio paintings of varying sizes along with many smaller works while in the backwoods of Canada’s then wilderness.

The group originated at the Toronto Arts and Letters Club before World War I, although the war delayed their official formation. Possible members were Franklin Carmichael, Lauren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J. E. H. MacDonald, and Frederick Varley. Harris helped finance many of the group’s wilderness excursions by furnishing custom covered wagons with sleeping and heating facilities and then leaving them at pre-arranged railroad track locations to be driven back when the group wanted to return. This was made possible by Harris’ family wealth and influence as part of the Massey Harris Combine, which supplied most of its products by train. Later, he and others helped finance the construction of a building that the band used as a studio in Toronto.

Emily Carr and various other artists were loosely associated with the Group of Seven, but never became members. Tom Thomson, often mentioned but never officially a member, died in 1917 in an accident on Lake Canoe in Northern Ontario. In the 1930s, members of the Big Seven decided to expand the club and formed the Canadian Group of Artists, consisting of 28 artists from across the country.

The Beginning of Non-Figurative Art

2021-01-05 | Art | No Comments

artistic

In the 1920s Kathleen Mann and Bertram Brooker independently experimented with abstract or non-figurative art in Canada. Both artists saw abstract art as a way to explore symbolism and mysticism as an integral part of their personal spirituality. As the Group of Seven was expanded into a Canadian group of artists in the 1930s, Lawren Harris left the group’s focus on depicting the Canadian landscape and experimented with abstract forms in an effort to represent broad conceptual themes. These individual artists indirectly influenced the next generation of artists who then formed abstract art groups. World War II, changing the definition of art in Canadian society and prompting young artists to explore abstract themes.

Contemporaries of the Seven

Founded in 1938 in Montreal, Quebec, the Eastern Group of Artists included artists from Montreal whose common interests were painting and art for art’s sake aesthetic rather than support for nationalist theory, as in the case of the Group of Seven or the Canadian Group of Artists. The group included Alexander Berkowitz, Goodridge Roberts, Eric Goldberg, Jack Weldon Humphrey, John Goodwin Lyman, and Jory Smith.

By the late 1930s many Canadian artists began to resent the quasi-national institution of the Group of Seven became. As a result of the growing rejection of the view that the efforts of a group of artists, mainly Ontario artists, constituted a national vision or creativity, many artists-especially in Quebec-began to feel ignored and undermined. An Eastern group of artists formed to counter this notion and restore diversity of purpose, method and geography to Canadian art.

Regionalism of the 1930s

Since the 1930s, Canadian artists have developed a wide range of very individual styles. Emily Carr became famous for her paintings of totem poles, native villages and the forests of British Columbia. Other famous artists included landscape painter. David Milne and prairie painter William Kurelek. In Quebec, John Goodwin Lyman founded the Contemporary Art Society in 1939, promoting Post-Impressionist and Fauvist art. Paul-Emile Borduas and Jean-Paul Riopel led a modernist collective known as Les Automatistes, which began holding exhibitions as early as 1941. However, their artistic influence was not immediately felt in English Canada, and beyond. Montreal.

Modern Art

2020-11-04 | Art | No Comments

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The interior of the Toronto Eaton Center showing one of Michael Snow’s most famous sculptures called Flightstop, which depicts Canada Geese in flight.

Several important local and regional developments emerged in the 1960s in dialogue with international trends. In Vancouver, Jan Wallace (artist) was particularly influential in developing this dialogue through his study and exchange programs at Emily Carr University of Art and Design (formerly the Vancouver School of Art) and visits by influential figures such as Lucy Lippard and Robert Smithson introduced young artists to conceptual art.

In Toronto, Spadina Avenue became a hotspot for free-form artists, especially Gordon Rayner, Graham Cutrie, and Robert Markle, who came to define “the Toronto image.”

Other notable moments when contemporary Canadian artists-as individuals or groups-were distinguished by community, international recognition, collaboration, or zeitgeist:

  • Michael Snow’s interdisciplinary art practice and international success since the 1960s
  • Moncton’s fledgling Department of Fine Arts, Université de Moncton, was led in 1963 by sculptor Claude Roussel and founder of CARFAC.
  • Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Université de Nova Scotia (NSCAD). In 1967, artist Harry Kennedy was appointed president, turning the college into an international center of artistic activity and inviting well-known artists to come to NSCAD as guest artists, especially those involved in conceptual art. Artists who made significant contributions during this period include Vito Acconci, Sol Levitt, Dan Graham, Eric Fischl, Lawrence Weiner, Joseph Beuys and Klaas Oldenburg
  • Pioneering early video art from Lisa Steele (Birthday Suit – Scarred and Flawed) and Colin Campbell
  • The Vancouver School of Photoconceptualism (including Jeff Wall, Rodney Graham and Stan Douglas)
  • International success by A.A. Bronson, Felix Partz, and Jorge Zontal under the name Main Idea.
  • Video Art and Photography David Askevold, an early and highly influential participant in the development and pedagogy of the conceptual art movement. His work was included in the seminal exhibition “Information” at the New York Museum of Modern Art in 1970.
  • The career success of Janet Cardiff and George Bure Miller, who represented Canada at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001

Canadian Group of Painters

2020-09-27 | Art | No Comments

brushes

The Canadian Artists’ Group (CGP) was a collective of 28 artists from around the world who joined together as a group in 1933.

The Canadian Group of Artists replaced the disbanded Group of Seven, whose paintings of Canadian wildlife had a strong influence on Canadian art. In the early 1930s, the prominence of the Big Seven caused controversy, as many believed that the National Gallery of Canada had shown favoritism for their work and they were the only Canadian artists to receive worldwide recognition. Concerns about the potential bias of the gallery and the exclusion of contemporary artists led to the formation of the Canadian Artists Group in February 1933.

The group consisted of 28 English-speaking artists from across Canada. Lauren Harris as its inaugural president. Some of the other Group of Seven artists were also included in the new group, including A. J. Casson, Arthur Lismer, A. Y. Jackson, F. H. Varley, and Franklin Carmichael.

Although the group never created a manifesto, they lived and worked with two goals: to foster closer collaboration among Canadian artists and to encourage and develop Canadian artistic expression.

Their first exhibition of “nationalist art” was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in November 1933. They displayed 57 works at the Heinz Art Salon, which proved to be a great international venue for showcasing their brand. However, the works of the group of seven still received the most recognition and press. The first CGP exhibition in Canada was held in November 1933. The exhibition was less austere in style and presented a wider range of works outside the Canadian landscape style.

Their next exhibition was not until January 1936 at the Toronto Art Gallery. Much of the delay was caused by the many scandals between members of the group, including an affair between Lauren Harris and Bess Larkin Hasser, a fellow artist and wife of CGP secretary Fred Husser. Harris stepped down as president and A. Y. Jackson took over with vice presidents Arthur Lysmer and Prudence Huard in 1936. The group held a number of exhibitions under its new leadership and took steps toward a unified style.

The Eastern Artists Group was formed in Montreal, Quebec in 1938 to counter the influence of the Canadian group of artists.

Canada Council

2020-09-23 | Art | No Comments

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The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly referred to as the Canada Council, this Crown Corporation founded in 1957 to act as the arts council of the Government of Canada, established to encourage and promote the study and use as well as the production of works in art.

It funds Canadian artists and encourages the production of art in Canada. The current chairman of the board of the Canada Council is Pierre Lassonde.

The Council of Canada is an independent agency based in Ottawa, Ontario, which reports to the Crown through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Its income from endowments is supplemented by annual appropriations from Parliament, endowments and bequests. Its main responsibility is to make grants to Canadian artists based on their applications. The Council also funds and administers many of Canada’s top arts awards, including the Governor General’s Literary Awards.

The Council consists of six major divisions. Each of these areas coordinates grants in different areas of the arts.

Council of Canada oversees the Art Bank. The Art Bank is a division of the Canada Council for the Arts, whose responsibilities include leasing works of art to public and private offices. It has the largest collection of contemporary Canadian art in the world. The collection includes about 18,000 works of art, 6,400 of which are currently leased to more than 200 public and corporate clients.

Created in the 1970s and developed by an employee of the Visual Arts Council of Canada. Suzanne Rivard-Lemoyne, Art Bank buys art from prominent Canadian artists through a system of expert juries. The bank is entirely self-financed, earning money by renting out works from its collection. The bank continues to expand its collection by purchasing works according to its annual purchasing budget. The vast majority of the artwork is leased by the Federal Government, with less than ten percent leased to the private sector. Works of art are leased for a period of two years. The rental rate is usually 20 percent of the object’s market value. Although Art Bank is based in Ottawa, Ontario it serves its clients across the country. Its collection is valued at more than $71 million.

In 2002, the Art Bank of Canada Council began purchasing Aboriginal artwork to add to its collection as part of its 45th anniversary celebrations.