The Group of Seven were an early 20th-century informal society of Canadian artists. The group formed in Toronto, Ontario, though expanded to include artists from Quebec and British Columbia, each of them focused on experiencing at the vast Canadian landscape, especially to the north, capturing and essentializing it with fresh eyes.
Perhaps the most representative Group of Seven piece: Tom Thomson’s The West Wind (1917):
J.E.H. MacDonald’s The Solemn Land (1921) is another strong contender:
My favorite Group of Seven piece: Little Island (1965) by A. J. Casson:
One of the group’s founding members, Lawren Harris (1885-1970), wrote a valuable account, The Story of the Group of Seven, about the group’s goals, formation, and experience. Some excerpts:
On early Canadian identity, to be overcome:
Look afresh, at reality not history or other art works, distinctive environment, Canadian identity:
Art, genuine versus superficial:
The French Impressionists as model:
Moods of landscapes:
Look at nature directly, through one’s own eyes, not through another’s or another culture’s:
Response, criticism, and reaction:
