Water and the Arts
The connection between water and the arts may be difficult to define, but it can be expressed.
Norval Morrisseau. Vlastula
Writers, artists and musicians have been inspired by water for centuries, using their works as media for communicating its more abstract value. Streams, rivers, and lakes occupy a central place in the natural world, an influence often reflected in various art forms. Many artists are fascinated by water in its many states. Where water meets land, the allure is intensified.
Tom Thomson
Some of Canada’s most influential artists and musicians have been drawn to and inspired by the country’s rugged, watery imagery.
Tom Thomson, an example of one of Canada’s most important and influential early artists, sketched and painted the lakes and landscapes of Algonquin Park, Ontario.
Water was often an important feature of Norval Morrisseau paintings, which conveyed his knowledge of and his deep pride in his Anishnaabe culture.
La Joute, Jean-Paul Riopelle
Jean-Paul Riopelle's famous sculpture, La Joute, combines wildlife, fire and water; and R. Murray Schafer, one of Canada's most prominent contemporary composers, returns often to the streams and lakes of his native land, in songs such as, Moments of Water and Music for Wilderness Lake.
Indeed, water's value to the human spirit has been celebrated throughout the history of the world.
Learn more about Tom Thomson, Norval Morrisseau, Jean-Paul Riopelle, and R. Murray Schafer.
Adapted from Environment Canada's Freshwater Website