During the second world war, the Canadian government commissioned artists to document the experiences of the military, resulting in a collection of over 5,000 paintings. These works capture the raw, human reality of the conflict, from the front lines to the home front, offering a poignant and often harrowing perspective on the war. The artists, many of whom were soldiers themselves, used their craft to express the profound impact of the war on both the soldiers and the civilians caught in its wake, creating a lasting legacy of the period.