The Great Depression hit Canada hard, impacting every aspect of society. Artists responded by creating works that reflected the struggles of ordinary people. From social realist paintings to hard-hitting documentaries, Canadian culture shifted to address the harsh realities of the time.
The CBC and National Film Board emerged during this era, shaping Canadian identity through radio and film. Literature and folk music also flourished, giving voice to the experiences of those affected by economic hardship. These cultural developments helped unite Canadians during a difficult period.
Visual Arts and Social Realism
Group of Seven's Influence
The Group of Seven had already established themselves as Canada's most recognized painters in the 1920s, but their influence carried into the Depression years. Their bold, distinctive landscapes of the Canadian wilderness captured places like the rocky shores of Georgian Bay and the vast expanses of the Prairies. During a time when economic hardship shook people's confidence, these paintings reinforced a sense of national identity and pride in Canada's natural beauty.
Their work was widely exhibited and reproduced, which made it accessible well beyond gallery-going audiences. That broad reach mattered: it helped Canadians feel connected to something larger than their immediate struggles.
Rise of Social Realism
While the Group of Seven focused on landscape, a newer movement turned its lens on people. Social realism emerged as a significant artistic movement during the Depression, depicting the everyday lives and hardships of ordinary Canadians. Artists painted breadlines, labour strikes, and urban slums to capture the realities of unemployment, poverty, and inequality.
The goal wasn't just artistic expression. Social realist artists wanted to raise awareness and push for change. Notable figures in this movement included:
- Miller Brittain, who depicted working-class life in Saint John, New Brunswick
- Paraskeva Clark, a Russian-born artist who painted politically charged works advocating for social justice
- Fritz Brandtner, who used modernist techniques to portray industrial landscapes and the human cost of the economic crisis
Their subjects were factories, construction sites, and working-class neighbourhoods. This was a deliberate contrast to the wilderness landscapes that had dominated Canadian art in the previous decade.
Broadcasting and Film
Establishment of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was established in 1936 as a national public broadcaster. Its mandate was to provide radio broadcasting services across the country and promote Canadian culture and identity. Before the CBC, Canadian airwaves were dominated by American programming, so the creation of a national broadcaster was a deliberate effort to give Canadians their own voice.
During the Depression, the CBC played a crucial role in keeping people informed and entertained. It produced radio programs spanning news, drama, and music that reflected Canadian experiences. For a country spread across thousands of kilometres, national radio helped foster a sense of shared experience and unity at a time when many communities felt isolated by poverty.
Growth of the National Film Board and Documentary Filmmaking
The National Film Board (NFB) was founded in 1939 under the leadership of John Grierson, a Scottish-born documentary filmmaker. Its purpose was to produce and distribute films that promoted Canadian interests and told Canadian stories.
The NFB quickly became a world leader in documentary filmmaking. Its films tackled social issues like unemployment and rural hardship, aiming to educate audiences and build a sense of national purpose. One early success was Churchill's Island (1941), which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, the first Oscar ever awarded in that category.
Worth noting: because the NFB was founded in 1939, most of its significant output came during the war years rather than the Depression itself. Still, its creation grew directly out of Depression-era concerns about national identity and the power of media to inform citizens.
Literature and Music
Depression-Era Literature
Canadian writers during the 1930s turned away from romanticized themes and toward the social and economic realities around them. Poverty, unemployment, and social injustice became central subjects in novels, short stories, and poetry.
Two novels stand out from this period:
- Morley Callaghan's Such Is My Beloved (1934) follows a young priest trying to help two sex workers in Depression-era Toronto. It explores how institutions fail marginalized people even when individuals try to do right.
- Sinclair Ross's As For Me and My House (1941) depicts a prairie minister and his wife trapped in a small, drought-stricken town during the Dust Bowl. The novel captures the psychological toll of isolation and economic despair on the Prairies.
Poets also engaged with the times. Dorothy Livesay wrote politically committed poetry influenced by her left-wing activism, while E.J. Pratt addressed broader social and political themes. Together, these writers gave literary voice to what ordinary Canadians were living through.
Revival of Folk Music
The Depression sparked a resurgence of interest in folk music. When times are hard, people turn to songs that express shared experiences, and folk music's themes of hardship, resilience, and hope resonated deeply with audiences facing economic uncertainty.
Two artists who gained wide popularity during this period were Wilf Carter (known as "Montana Slim" in the United States) and Hank Snow, both from Nova Scotia. Their country and western-influenced folk songs captured the spirit of rural Canadian life and reached large audiences through radio.
Community events also played a role. Gatherings like the Canadian Folk Song and Handicraft Festival in Quebec helped preserve traditional music and crafts at a time when cultural traditions risked being lost. This Depression-era folk revival planted seeds that would grow into Canada's vibrant folk music scene in later decades, eventually producing internationally known artists like Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell.