Book Description

"First published in 1973, this book quickly became an indispensable short history of Canadian painting and was reprinted many times. For this Second Edition the text has been revised to incorporate new information--and, in some places, new interpretations--and expanded. The First Edition studied Canadian painting to 1965, masterfully combining visual description, anecdotes, and aesthetic evaluation with full accounts of the careers of most of the leading painters, beginning in the French colonial period. This Second Edition covers painting to 1980. A long final chapter treats a crucial fifteen years when there developed in Canada a tremendous interest in other art forms and apparent falling off of interest in painting. In fact the cry was heard--throughout the western world--that painting was dead. It turned out, however, that this was far from true. Dennis Reid discusses the work of established artists who produced steadily in this period--including Jack Bush, Jack Chambers, Greg Curnoe, Gershon Iskowitz, John Meredith, Guido Molinari, Jack Shadbolt, and Claude Tousignant--as well as new arrivals on the scene who have since joined the ranks of leading Canadian artists. Among the more recent painters discussed are David Bolduc, John Boyle, David Craven, Paterson Ewen, Ivan Eyre, Yves Gaucher, John Hall, Ron Martin, Michale Morris, Norval Morrisseau, Christopher Pratt, Shirley Wiitasalo, and Tim Zuck. Enriched by this overview, and by many additions to the original text, A Concise History of Canadian Painting in its Second Edition is the widest-ranging and most authoritative handbook available. Lucid, interesting, and informative, it is still a pleasure to read from first to last." -- Back cover