An exhibit being displayed in Edmonton has been set up to commemorate 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War.
Entitled ‘Forging a Nation: Canada Goes to War’, it displays 60 works of art, many of which highlight the efforts of the Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry regiment, which was first stood up at the start of the war.
The artwork was created by a variety of artists, including A.Y. Jackson and Frederick Varley, who were members of the Group of Seven. One of the pieces includes a rendition of the PPLI fighting in the trenches in Ypres in 1915.
On hand for the showing was former Lieutenant Governor Adrienne Clarkson, who was made the first Canadian Commander in Chief of the regiment in 2007. This was her second opportunity to see the paintings in person, as she had been at the show when it was in Calgary.
One of the paintings being exhibited was a work by former PPCI commander Bill Bewick, who created a painting of the regiment’s first color parade in 1914.
Works of art like the ones being shown can help to keep a country’s history alive. Poster printing companies can create prints of the paintings, so that people will be able to display them in their own homes.
The exhibit will be open until August 16th at the University of Alberta’s Enterprise Gallery. Admission is by donation.
