The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson

With about fifty pages of well written and informative introduction about the group and their painting, this is essentially a catalogue of the artists' work. It concludes with a chronology and a general and artist specific bibliography, and a detailed list of the works included. The paintings are reproduced sometimes two to a page and frequently one to a page and total nearly three hundred and seventy in full colour. The standard of reproduction is good and the colours rich and strong, often the quality of the brush work and texture of the paint is apparent. As a result we can truly appreciate the stunning beauty of the work and the rich variety to be found in the artists' painting. This is a most enlightening book brimful of gorgeous paintings, if you are not familiar with this group's work, as I was not until I acquired this volume, it is bound to win you over.

If you are looking for a different perspective on the art of landscape this is the perfect book. The painters in the Group of Seven are all individuals but have a similar feeling for design and grand compositions. This book has beautiful, large reproductions and it lets the paintings do the talking with over 400 finely reproduced color images. A little expensive but if you love powerfully composed, colorful landscapes, this book is for you.

Art historian, cultural administrator, and managing director of Sotheby's Canada, David P. Silcox, has produced a colorful testament to Canada's Group of Seven and Tom Thomson, artists who had broken with tradition and established a new way of painting Canada. This lavishly illustrated coffee table book comprising three hundred and sixty nine stunning color paintings and twenty black and white portfolio drawings reflects why this group of painters (there were in fact eleven who were part of the movement) was historically significant in influencing the style and spirit of Canadian Art in the early part of the twentieth century. In addition, they were also instrumental in paving a new and novel way Canadians began looking at and appreciating their vast nation that lay before them. The book's primary objective, as indicated in the author's introduction, is to understand the role that the artist played in creating a country's identity, and to illustrate the importance of art in our lives. On both accounts, the book succeeds admirably. The group was formed in March 1920, and initially the plan was to form a group of nine. We do not know why there were seven members. The first members of the group were Lawren Harris, J.E.H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, F.H. Varley, Frank Carmichael, Frank Johnson, and A.Y. Jackson. It should be mentioned, Tom Thomson was not part of the Group of Seven, although his spirit was present. Thomson had accidentally died in Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, in 1917. Lawren Harris wrote of Thomson in The Story of the Group of Seven, "I have, in my story of the group included Tom Thomson as a working member, although the name of the group did not originate until after his death. Tom Thomson was, nevertheless, as vital to the movement, as much a part of its formation and development, as any other member." Other members, who had been part of the group at one time or another, were A.J.Casson, LeMoine Fitzgerald, and Edwin Holgate. Originally, Dr. Silcox's publisher, Firefly Books, had approached him to reissue his previous book, Tom Thomson, The Silence and the Storm. However, after several exchanges of ideas, it was decided to publish a unique book that would embody paintings published in 1925 at the height of the Group's power and had not appeared anywhere since. Consequently, the book includes one hundred and twenty three never before reproduced images from seldom seen paintings that are in private collections. The ten sections that constitute the pattern of the book reflect the awareness of the vast differences of Canadian landscapes and scenes. The reader is given a geographical tour from Quebec to Algonquin Park, across the Prairies, the Rockies, and the Canadian Arctic depicting, as the book mentions, "a thousand different aspects of the physical environment, life and spirit of Canada." No doubt, the Group's preponderant legacy to Canada can best be summed up as the sense of awe these painters held for their

David Silcox's beautiful blending of Canada's best-loved artists captures the magnificent richness of the northern landscape. I particularly like the way the paintings have been grouped thematically into portraits: wilderness, rural life, and the Canadian Arctic to name a few. The author's written commentary is clear and concise about what the Group of Artists was trying to accomplish without overpowering the visual impact of the work. It is a book that is incredibly satisfying to the eye. One you'll not set aside easily.

Even those very familiar with the work of Tom Thomson and The Group of Seven will experience the thrill of rediscovering their work anew as they turn the pages of this magnificent book. The paintings come gloriously alive and are juxtapositioned to complement one another with superb care and sensitivity. This book is a true feast for the senses.