Canadian national culture has been shaped by prose, poetry and painting to varying degrees since the country's inception. The art movement in Canada underwent a significant transition over the course of the nation's development, from an agricultural society to the urbanized one known today. Early periods view art very differently than later periods, such as the Group of Seven. A particularly nationalist art movement suggests that their art represented a dramatic departure from previous styles of painting in Canada. This article will argue that the Group of Seven indeed played an important role in its transition, in addition to the "Great White Hope", the myth of the North, which fulfilled the idealistic notion of Northern influence in art. Homer Watson's work, After the Rain, and Arthur Lismer's work, A September Gale, will also be used to help note the changing style and dynamic of Canadian art. Artistic ideals in Canada are often difficult to combine into a single concise understanding given their changing nature. nature. The colonial era and the late 19th century were significantly shaped by Pastoralism, a style that often depicted countryside paintings (Davis 36). Homer Watson's 1883 painting, After the Rain, is a pastoral style that depicts “nature reaching its highest stage of picturesque beauty [which only occurs] when forests [have been] cleared, meadows or fields created or cultivated and established agricultural businesses. "(36). After the Rain shows a farmer's field, where the ground has been cleared of trees following what appears to be a severe storm (38). Watson represents early Canada by placing emphasis on an agrarian society confident, strangely comfortable in a photographic work. Homer Watson believed in his w...... middle of paper ...... representation of key national symbols, " (Davis 41) it was only later that a The further expansion of the artistic disciple particularly covered larger expanses of Canada territory in terms of social and cultural supports. The growth of art in Canada has played a vital role in the development of Canadian culture. An individual's ability to connect to their country has been increasingly linked to artistic works and their representation of national ideals. Earlier pieces such as Homer Watson's After the Rain represent an artistic sense of agrarian society, which later moved towards an increasingly modern perspective through the work of the Group of Seven. Group member Arthur Lismer's reflection, A September Gale, represents a dramatic departure from previous painting styles and its representational ideals fuel a similar vision the North portrays for Canada..