Week 5: Tom Thomson and Emily Carr
February 6, 2013
Tom Thomson (1877-1917)
6 of ten children in Owensound
Gifted artist and musician – drawing and painting
Sickly, never went to high school
Went on to business school in Seattle – worked as a commercial artist
“Transnational” Tom
Leaves Seattle after a failed romance with a younger woman
He proposes, she begins to giggle so he takes it as a no and leaves town – back
to Canada
Back in Toronto he attends night school and develops technical skills to become
artist, not just commercially
J.E.H MacDonald was his mentor at Grip Ltd.
Back from fishing trip, brings back sketches and paintings – revealed a vision of
expansive wilderness untouched by humanity
1913/14 – “A Northern Lake” – first major painting, bought by the Ontario
government for $250
In 1914, goes back to Algonquin park with Frederick Varley, Arthur Lismer and
A.Y. Jackson
o Begins to evolve type of landscape art
o This type of art becomes basis for the style that lays the groundwork that
the Group of Seven will embrace
o Deliberately creating a “Canadian Consciousness” – link between identity
and art
Every spring and every fall, sketching in Algonquin – summer works as a guide in
the park – winter returns to Toronto
When he dies – leaves behind 50 paintings and more than 300 sketches
o Becomes iconic images of Canadian nature
o Increased extraordinarily in value
o In 2008, his paintings went for millions of dollars
Mystery still surrounds his death
o July 8 1917
o Goes on fishing trip in canoe lake
o Week later body is found floating
o Recorded death at time = accidental drowning
o Coroner decides it is accidental without ever witnessing the body
o Was it suicide? Murder?
o More recent review by Ontario‟s chief forensic pathologist Death should have been determined „unknown”
Roy MacGreggor – “Northern Light”
Trainer was his fiancée and carrying his child at his time of death
o She disappears into US after death, and comes back many months later
When he dies, friends decide to bury him on the spot
Thomson‟s family wanted body sent back to owensound
o They were sent back an empty coffin
1950s, guys decide to go and dig up his grave in canoe lake
o Discover a skull with a noticeable hole inside of it
o Skull was of a young aboriginal Canadian
o Since then, scientists have found that it was of a white man about
Thomson‟s age
Emily Carr (1871-1945)
Her and Thomson never met
Associated with Group of Seven, about decade after Thomson‟s death
Born in Detroit – father was british immigrant, successful middle class family
Mother had tuberculosis and was bedridden – never close relationship
Very close relationship between her and her dad – argument in her teens and
they become estranged – no parental figure past her teens
Sisters have no respect for her at all – isolated from them as well
“Transnational” Emily
o Goes down to West Coast to San Francisco to learn artistic techniques
o Goes to Europe, London, 1910 in France
o Learns landscape and watercolor painting
o Influenced by post-impressionism
o Returns to British Columbia – begins 6 week sketching trip to document
native Canadian culture
o “disappearing first nations cultures” was one of two central themes in her
work
nd
o 2 , was landscape of Western Canada
Paintings from her sketching trip don‟t really sell – makes the decision to
abandon art and go back to Victoria to buy an apartment building and renting
out rooms
15 years after coming back to Victoria, paintings begin to get wider attention
Invitation to go to the national gallery to display her work
o Meets Loren Harris – member of Group of Seven
o He becomes an important friend and supporter of her and her work
o He says she is like a member of the Group of Seven
o After this, enters her most productive painting stage
Gets very sick – 1937 major heart attack
o Paints less and less, and focuses more on writing o In her lifetime, more known for her
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