Graveyard, Sorel P.Q.
Painted by Anthony (Tony) Law in 1945

After 1945, the Canadian navy shrank to a modest peacetime size.

These corvettes, docked at Sorel, Quebec, soon to be sold for scrap, attest to the scale of post-war demobilization and the sadness felt by many sailors at the decommissioning of their ships. The artist, a naval officer, was affected deeply by the war and by the changes that followed. The ships are an emotional presence in his work, seemingly aware of their impending fate, but - like Law - buoyed by their record of wartime service.

Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19710261-4075