The Canadian Group of Seven painters produced striking works during the early part of the 20th century, and asserted that the beauty of Canada’s landscape was more than worthy of being artistically depicted. Their intentions to portray their country in a distinctive style and cast off any lingering European attitudes of cultural snobbery also ran parallel to Canada’s own emerging national identity.
The Group of Seven was influenced by other artistic movements of the time, such as Art Nouveau, Post-Impressionism, Japonisme and contemporary Scandinavian painting, but they adapted what inspired them and created their own dynamic. Several of them met while working at Grip, Ltd., a commercial art firm in Toronto, and their first collective exhibit was held in May of 1920.
Seven questions about the Group of Seven are as follows:
Who was the youngest member of the original Group?
Franklin Carmichael was the youngest, born in 1890. A native of Orillia, Carmichael studied at the Ontario College of Art and frequently painted stunning oil landscapes such as The Valley, with additional finesse in the medium of watercolor. Carmichael was later an instructor at the Ontario College of Art until his death in 1945.
Who painted The Red Maple in 1914?
A.Y. (Alexander Young) Jackson painted The Red Maple, a work sometimes noted as being symbolic of Canada’s entry into World War I. The scrappy yet slender red-leafed maple represents the Canadian spirit, while the rushing waters stand for the impending conflict of the First World War. As a Dominion of the United Kingdom, Canada joined the Allied forces almost three years before the neighboring United States. Jackson himself enlisted and was wounded in 1916, eventually finishing his tour as a Canadian Army war artist.
Which Group of Seven member was born in Sheffield, England and often drew caricatures of himself and fellow Seven artists?
Arthur Lismer (1885-1969) was not a native Canadian and immigrated to Toronto when he was in his mid-twenties. Beyond his notable landscapes and other paintings, Lismer had a talent for quick-fire caricature and created thousands of cartoon-type works.
Who encouraged the Group of Seven to become more than just seven friends and artists?
Lawren Harris (1885-1970) was a key force in the Group of Seven's formation. As A.Y. Jackson recalled: "Without Harris there would have been no Group of Seven. He provided the stimulus; it was he who encouraged us to always take the bolder course, to find new trails." Harris's style became progressively abstract as his career developed, moving from landscape works to more intense, mystical expressions.
Who was also born in Sheffield, England and served as a combat artist during World War I?
Frederick Horsman Varley (1881-1969) was born in Sheffield as well, just a few years before Arthur Lismer. Furthermore, like Lismer and Jackson, Varley was a commissioned Canadian Army war artist. War is hell and Varley knew it, and he expressed that fact on canvas in works like For What?, which questioned a soldier's fate and vast loss of lives on the battlefield.
Who painted The Tangled Garden, capturing a scene from his woodland Ontario property known as Four Elms?
James Edward Hervey—or J.E.H.—MacDonald (1873-1932) painted the lush and lovely The Tangled Garden in 1916. The thick-stroked painting was not initially well-received by critics of the time, but it would become one of MacDonald's and the Group of Seven's best-known works.
Whose departure in 1920 turned the Group of Seven into a Group of Six, until A.J. Casson joined in 1926?
Frank or Franz Johnston (1888-1949) left the Group and Toronto in 1920 to accept a position at the Winnipeg School of Art. Another war-involved artist, Johnston focused on the Canadian pilots of World War I and their training regime, capturing breathtaking aerial scenes he saw firsthand while flying with the corps.
Which good friend and artistic ally of the Group of Seven played both the violin and mandolin?
Although the musically-inclined painter Tom Thomson (1877-1917) was not an official member, his friendship with the others and love of nature were integral to the Group of Seven’s formation. Thomson is sadly famous for his unfortunate death at Algonquin Park in July of 1917, an incident that could have either been accidental or a homicide. Had Thomson lived beyond his thirty-ninth year, he would have likely produced many more paintings and turned this Group of Seven into a decidedly remarkable Eight.
Sources
- Arthur Lismer -- National Gallery of Canada
- The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson -- David P. Silcox (Firefly Books, 2006)
- Art and War -- Laura Brandon (I.B. Tauris, 2007)
- Tom Thomson -- Tom Thomson Art Gallery
