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Painting Canada: Tom Thomson As Well As The Grouping Of 7 - Review

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Today I saw Tom Thomson's plein air paintbox.  I was at Painting Canada: Tom Thomson in addition to the Group of Seven which finishes at the Dulwich Picture Gallery on Lord's Day eighth Jan before going on its European Tour.  There's a belatedly black tomorrow black (5th January)

This is an exhibition close a grouping of painters who were all determined to demonstrate that it was possible to pigment the Canadian landscape in addition to do jurist to some of the features which were regarded every bit unpaintable at the time.

I wrote close the exhibition dorsum inwards Oct - 'Painting Canada: Tom Thomson in addition to the Group of Seven' at Dulwich Picture Gallery.  That post service explained which the exhibition is hence momentous in addition to hence I'm non going to repeat whatsoever of that inwards this post service - salve to say this is a i time inwards a lifetime exhibition.

I'm non quite certain why it took me hence long to larn there, other than the fact that I ever retrieve I've got loads to a greater extent than fourth dimension to run into an exhibition plus it was at the Dulwich Picture Gallery which meant getting the satnav out!

Today at lunchtime at that topographic point were queues of xxx minutes to brand it - AFTER tickets had been purchased (at to the lowest degree yous larn to hold off somewhere warm in addition to dry!).  It volition larn worse before it finishes.  You tin book tickets online.

This post service volition give yous impressions of the exhibition and what yous larn from seeing the paintings upwards unopen which yous don't larn from images inwards books or websites.

This is also a fairly epitome heavy post.  I'll live doing some other i on The Art of the Landscape in addition to volition also live posting the sketches I did somewhere!


Tom Thomson (Tom Thomson 1877–1917) is regarded yesteryear some every bit Canada's Van Gogh.  When I saw the paintings I realised why.  I had no thought that he loved pigment that much.   His paintings receive got thick large lush brushmarks (think Tai Schierenberg - or Van Gogh!).  This is a homo who was a main of the i hitting negative painting.  He must receive got also had truck loads of pigment inside him inwards the wilderness!

One of the things which struck me close Thomson's paintings is that he is a painter who created paintings which piece of work extremely good from a distance (good design, skilful tonal values/contrast) in addition to notwithstanding his paintings larn to a greater extent than interesting the closer yous larn because of his expressionistic brushstrokes - next the contours of his bailiwick matter.  His sketches are also every bit interesting in addition to good designed every bit his concluding works.

In some of his larger plant he seemed to piece of work amongst a warp in addition to weft approach - horizontal thick slabs of paints for the heaven in addition to the H2O in addition to vertical slabs of pigment for the mountains in addition to the trees - amongst the colours in addition to tints real carefully worked out inwards advance.  The best example of this approach is The Jack Pine.  Images inwards the books close Thomson do non laid yous for the extent to which this ikon was sculpted.

I looked real closely at to a greater extent than than a few of the sketches - of which at that topographic point are many inwards the demonstrate - each i a trivial gem.  The approach on a issue of them seemed to live a reddish raw sienna Earth on which he hence lightly sketched the outlines of shapes - especially of the trees.  He hence used a brush loaded amongst actually lush pigment to pigment the shapes or hence the trees.  All his smaller plant were done on pocket-size boards - unremarkably 21cm x 27cm.

The fleck I don't empathize is that some of the real heavily textured plant are described every bit existence on canvass in addition to notwithstanding I don't believe for i infinitesimal that these could ever receive got been rolled because of the thickness of the paint.  I'm wondering if they were painted on canvass attached to a board.

Tom Thomson, Sketch for The West Wind, 
Tom Thomson, The West Wind, 1917, 
Oil on canvas, 120.7 x 137.2 cm, 
© Art Gallery of Ontario
Tom Thomson, Winter Thaw inwards the Woods, 1917, 
Oil on composite woodpulp board, 21.6 x 26.8 cm, 
Thomson Collection, AGO © Art Gallery of Ontario

Thomson is also a main colourist.  One of the huge benefits of this exhibition is that it showed yous finished piece of work adjacent to preparatory sketch (By July 1917, Thomson has produced some xxx finished plant in addition to some 300 sketches piece working inwards Algonquin Park).  From these i could easily run into the extent to which he brightened colours in addition to strengthened highlights to do a to a greater extent than dramatic contrast.  However this may live inwards go because of the fact he painted amongst a real limited color palette when ikon sketches plein air - unremarkably some 4 colours altogether.

(Incidentally I directly empathize the betoken of Peter Doig's "White Canoe" in addition to which painter has influenced his means of painting).

Nothing quite prepares yous for the colour.  The catalogue has done a skilful undertaking amongst most of the paintings at getting a faithful reproduction of the colour.  However the brightness of some of the paintings is best conveyed inwards existent life eg Franklin Carmichael's Autumn Hillside positively vibrates on the wall.  I sat in addition to did a sketch of this i in addition to actually began to appreciate Carmichael's approach to composition in addition to colour.  Carmichael has been described every bit a "decorative painter" whereas I retrieve of him directly every bit a homo who actually enjoyed pattern in addition to colour.  I also loved his Grace Lake and October Gold which are both much to a greater extent than impressive when seen inwards person.

There were people inwards the gallery who had been to Canada maxim - but the trees actually are that color inwards Autumn!

Franklin Carmichael, Autumn Hillside, 1920, 
Oil on canvass 76 x 91.4cm, © Art Gallery of Ontario,
Gift from the J.S. McLean Collection, Toronto 
© Courtesy of the Estate of Franklin Carmichael

Lawren Harris's (Lawren Harris 1855–1970) paintings of snowfall in addition to H2O ice were quite surreal inwards price of their  pale icy bluish in addition to turquoise colours.  I much preferred his pocket-size sketches of trees done before he got to his abstracted phase.  Lots of marks in addition to no mixing of pigment on the board.

Lawren Harris, Trees in addition to Pool, c. 1920, 
Oil on panel, 26.7 x 35.6 cm, © Art Gallery of Ontario, 
© Family of Lawren S. Harris

Jim McDonald (J. E. H. MacDonald 1873–1932) appears to receive got been an interesting bloke.  Hardly the rugged outdoor type he nonetheless travelled to pigment the Rockies in addition to became "mountain mad".  He seemed to me to grasp how to demonstrate the hugeness of the place.  However his before plant propose he was ever a painter who was comfortable portaying vast vistas.

J. E. H. MacDonald, Lake O’Hara, 1929, 
Oil on canvas, 53.6 x 66.5 cm, 
The Thomson Collection © Art Gallery of Ontario
J. E. H. MacDonald, Falls, Montreal River, 1920, 
Oil on canvass 121.9 x 153 cm 
© Art Gallery of Ontario
I haven't included cite of all the artists or all the plant I liked. However at that topographic point is an awful lot to similar close Canadian ikon every bit represented inwards this exhibition.

In fact I'd become hence far every bit to say I came away thinking that that it made some contemporary landscape ikon I've seen inwards the lastly few years await real pedestrian. Let's non forget most of these paintings were also painted later a fair grade of endeavour was made to achieve the places they painted!

Entrance to the Current Exhibition (which includes entrance to the Permanent Collection) is every bit follows:
• Adults £9.00
• Senior Citizens £8.00
• Unemployed, disabled in addition to students £4 (valid educatee carte du jour must live available)
• Art Fund members £4.00
• Free entry for children nether 18
• Free entry for Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery

Exhibition Blog

This is the exhibition blog inwards which Julian Beecroft posted during 2011 every bit he crossed Canada to places the painters visited

Exhibition App

The Gallery has produced a Guide to Painting Canada: Tom Thomson in addition to the Group of Seven as an iPhone/iPad app (this is the GB link).  It's a condensed in addition to summarised version.  You get to run into most - only non all - the exhibits, the construction is the same every bit the exhibition in addition to at that topographic point is also explanation of the  In the U.K. it costs £1.99 in addition to is real skilful value for money.  Highly recommended for those who would receive got liked to run into the exhibition only are unable to visit.  Used inwards the exhibition it acts every bit an explanation of the ikon existence viewed.

Exhibition Catalogue
Exhibition Catalogue

The fully illustrated 216-page exhibition catalogue was published inwards the U.K. inwards the autumn.  Yesterday the catalogue for this exhibition Painting Canada: Tom Thomson in addition to the Group of Seven by Ian A.C. Dejardin, the Director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery, was also published inwards the USA

My initial impressions are real favourable.  It passed the acid exam of color reproduction - most of the paintings are faithful to the ikon inwards existent life.  Not all are only this volition live a employment of a photograph failing to homecoming the colours properly.
The catalogue tells of Tom Thomson in addition to the Group of Seven’s collective bespeak to depict Canada inwards paint. It recounts their beginnings, the challenges they faced, in addition to the remarkable in addition to oft extreme journeys they undertook inwards search of novel bailiwick matter. Essays yesteryear curator Ian Dejardin in addition to co-curators Katerina Atanassova in addition to Anna Hudson explore diverse aspects of the Group of Seven’s practice, consider the artists’ human relationship amongst the Arctic north, in addition to analyse Thomson’s fine art through the prism of the prevalent scientific theories of the day. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fresh, European perspective on the Canadians’ piece of work is offered inwards essays exploring their links amongst Scandinavian fine art in addition to European expressionism.
Available inwards paperback at a toll of £25 ($40). It is on sale online at dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

Exhibition Tour

This exhibition is also touring to ii other European venues
Links to other reviews of this exhibition + a slideshow of epitome of some of the paintings
More Canadian Art

If yous similar Canadian landscape fine art in addition to paintings yesteryear Tom Thomson in addition to the Group of Seven in addition to would similar to run into to a greater extent than of it receive got a await at Canadian Art Calendars 2012

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