After two years of effort I have completed oil painting “This is Canada – 155th” before Canada day 2022. This oil painting aims to show the historical process of a free, democratic, tolerant and multicultural Canada.

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I like history, and also like historical oil paintings as historical documentary oil paintings have irreplaceable charm and function. When traveling in Europe, Raphael's oil painting "School of Athens" in the Vatican gave me a great shock. Raphael recorded a great era by bringing together famous philosophers from different periods. At the same time, I also remembered the sculpture on the triangular gable of the main entrance of the British Museum, which also used a dozen figures to describe the entire history of human development from birth to modernity. From this, I inspirit with an idea to show Canada's more than 150-year history in an oil painting.

I read a lot of materials online such as articles, books, videos about Canadian history, and finally decided to use "Discover Canada-Canada's History 2019" published by the Department of Immigration as the blueprint. At the same time I refer to "The most influential people in the world” held by CBC in 2004 and 2014, and public figures on Canadian banknotes. I choose the typical historical events and key characters from those. The theme is founding, rising and multiculturalism separately.

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The founding section highlights several key events and moments in Canada's founding. Before Europeans arrived in North America in 1497, the natives were the masters of here; in 1608 the French Champlain built a castle in Quebec; in 1759 the British defeated the French to gain control of North America; the "Quebec Act" of 1774 maintained British criminal law At the same time, the French civil law was restored, which was the beginning of Canadian multiculturalism; the Canadian-American War of 1812-14 ensured Canada's independence from the United States; the Canadian Dominion was born on July 1, 1867; the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885 ensured that Canada The vast territory from sea to sea.
 
What is described in the rising part is that the First World War made Canada an independent country in the world; after the Second World War, Canada quickly developed into a developed and modern country together with other democratic countries; many scientists and scholars contributed to Canada's rise; the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, enacted in 1982, protected many rights and freedoms, including freedom of speech and equality, and set the tone for Canada's multiculturalism.
 
The third part mainly depicts outstanding figures emerging from  new and old immigrants who from different countries, regions, races, beliefs, and cultures, and indigenous peoples under the national policy of multiculturalism; Including the medical staff fighting on the front line of the new crown epidemic.

This painting is composed of three canvases, with the Parliament Building as the background and stage. From left to right, there are 86 people distributed in chronological order, among which 73 have names. The painting is 366X152 cm in total, oil on canvas.

Describing a country’s history in one painting must have certain limitations,  It is normal for people to have different views on history, but t is one meaningful exploration and I did my best.