Artists

At the turn of the twentieth century numerous Canadian architects, artisans and artists set out to modify the aesthetic and social environment through the integration of the arts. Painters produced murals; architects designed furniture; clubs formed to bring together writers, artists and architects; collectors and governments commissioned paintings, furnishings and sculpture for public and private buildings; photography rivaled painting; and crafts became applied design. Building on both the Beaux-Arts movement in France and the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain and the United States, Canadian art practitioners met the challenge of obtaining patronage - which had until then looked abroad - to create a unique aesthetic that shot through all aspects of daily life. Their contributions fueled the economic growth that marked these prosperous years. Punctuated with numerous illustrations, essays by experts in their fields detail how architecture, monumental sculpture, urban planning, mural and decorative painting, graphic design, decorative arts and photography came together in an unprecedented fashion in this young country. Featured are not only the notable achievements but also the many creative and thoughtful projects that were proposed but never realized. Artists include Robert Harris, George Reid, Ozias Leduc, Gustav Hahn and Harriet Ford, architects Eden Smith, Edward and William Maxwell, Percy Nobbs and Samuel Maclure and sculptors Louis-Philippe Hébert, G.W. Hill and Alfred Laliberté.