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Though not an official member, Thomson was closely allied with the Canadian Group of Seven artists. His suspicious death in 1917 cut short a brilliant emerging career.
Thomas John Thomson was born August 5, 1877 and grew up by Owen Sound, Ontario. One of his earliest jobs was at a machine shop, but he was fired for too many late arrivals. He made his way to Seattle to study at The Acme Business College, a school his brother had co-founded; he did not stick with business courses for very long, but while in Seattle completed his first self-portrait. He then left to take employment with the Toronto graphic design firm Grip, Ltd. Among Thomson's co-workers at Grip were his new friends and soon-to-be founders of a Canadian artistic movement known as the Group of Seven. Thomson and The SevenThomson was artistically inclined from an early age but had little formal training. His alliance with certain members of the Group of Seven, which included such painters as Arthur Lismer, A.Y. Jackson and Franklin Carmichael, helped forge a collective idea of depicting the natural beauty of Canada in a new and distinct style. They also hoped to use their work to help Canada to be viewed as an independent entity, and not a mere European outpost. Thomson and the Seven found influences in Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Scandinavian painting, along with the sinuous, smooth lines of Art Nouveau. Thomson in particular had a style of thick brushstrokes, strong form and intense color similar to Vincent van Gogh. Around 1913, Thomson escaped working in offices and began supporting himself as a ranger and guide in Algonquin Park, Ontario. This allowed him to focus on his primary muse, the amazing north woods landscape in all moods and seasons. Living in a renovated tool shed, he produced numerous sketches and paintings during this time and sold Northern River to the National Gallery of Canada in 1915. Last Trip on Canoe LakeIn July of 1917, Thomson went fishing on Canoe Lake and never returned. About a week later his body was found, the local authorities’ verdict being that Thomson had drowned accidentally. No autopsy, however, was ever done. The unknown true circumstances behind Thomson's death have fueled speculation for years, with theories suggesting that Thomson had been killed first in a fight then dumped into the water to make it look like drowning, that alcohol was involved, or that he even may have succumbed to depression and committed suicide. Whatever the case, the loss of Tom Thomson galvanized his existing works, yet denied Canada and the world beyond of the paintings he might have created had he lived on. LegacyThomson’s best-known paintings are the beautifully eerie The Jack Pine and The West Wind. His perceptive and unique landscapes demonstrate firsthand knowledge of his particular terrain, of which as his friend and fellow artist A. Y. Jackson noted: “he was the guide, the interpreter, and we the guests partaking of his hospitality so generously given . . . my debt to him is almost that of a new world, the north country, and a truer artist’s vision because as an artist he was rarely gifted.” Tom Thomson’s works can be seen at Ottawa’s National Gallery of Canada, The Art Gallery of Hamilton, and The Tom Thomson Art Gallery in his native Owen Sound. There are several memorials to him, including one overlooking Canoe Lake created by his artist friends. He has also been the subject of various writings and documentaries exploring his career and tragic death. Sources:
The copyright of the article Canadian Artist Tom Thomson in 20th Century Art is owned by Meg Nola. Permission to republish Canadian Artist Tom Thomson in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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