{"title":"Thomson, Tom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTom Thomson (1877–1917)\u003c\/strong\u003e was a Canadian landscape painter whose expressive images of forests, lakes and changing seasons helped shape modern Canadian art. Although he died before the formation of the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/group-of-seven-the\"\u003eGroup of Seven\u003c\/a\u003e in 1920, his paintings and friendships were central to its development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThomas John Thomson was born on 5 August 1877 near Claremont, Ontario, and grew up close to Owen Sound on Georgian Bay. He enjoyed fishing, walking and exploring the countryside, interests that later informed his art. Rather than following a conventional fine-art education, he worked in commercial design and photo-engraving, spending several years in Seattle before returning to Canada.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Toronto he joined the design firm Grip Limited, where he met \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/macdonald-james-e-h\"\u003eJ. E. H. MacDonald\u003c\/a\u003e, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley and other artists who would become associated with the Group of Seven. Encouraged by these colleagues, Thomson increasingly devoted his attention to painting. His first visit to Algonquin Park in 1912 introduced him to the landscape that would become his principal subject.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThomson frequently travelled through the park by canoe, working outdoors on small wooden panels. These quick oil sketches captured the changing light, weather and colours of the Canadian wilderness. During the winter he developed selected studies into larger studio paintings. His brushwork became increasingly bold, with simplified forms and vivid contrasts that conveyed the atmosphere of a place rather than recording every detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong his best-known paintings are \u003cem\u003eNorthern River\u003c\/em\u003e (1914–15), \u003ca href=\"\/products\/thomson-tom-1877-1917-the-jack-pine-1917\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Jack Pine\u003c\/em\u003e (1917)\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/thomson-tom-1877-1917-the-west-wind-1917\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe West Wind\u003c\/em\u003e (1917)\u003c\/a\u003e. Their twisted trees, sweeping skies and strong colours helped establish a distinctive approach to Canadian landscape painting. His \u003ca href=\"\/products\/thomson-tom-1877-1917-tea-lake-dam-1915\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eTea Lake Dam\u003c\/em\u003e (1915)\u003c\/a\u003e offers another view of the landscape he knew so well. Thomson also worked as a fishing guide and forest ranger, allowing him to spend extended periods in the north.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn 8 July 1917, Thomson disappeared while canoeing on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. His body was recovered eight days later, and the official finding was accidental drowning. He was only 39. His paintings subsequently became closely associated with the Group of Seven, whose members drew inspiration from his work and his knowledge of the Canadian landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor different approaches to Canadian landscape painting, explore \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/cullen-maurice\"\u003eMaurice Cullen\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/milne-david\"\u003eDavid Milne\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"thomson-tom-1877-1917-tea-lake-dam-1915","title":"Thomson, Tom (1877-1917) - Tea Lake Dam 1915","description":"\u003cp\u003eArtwork by the Canadian artist Tom Thomson.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis download consists of 1 image in JPEG format that is 600dpi and 6008 pixels wide by 4864 pixels tall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe picture is out of copyright and in the public domain, so you are free to use it in whatever way you'd like, including commercial use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/thomson-tom?_pos=1\u0026amp;_psq=tom+thomson\u0026amp;_psid=457b1a1ce\u0026amp;_ss=e\" title=\"Tom Thomson\"\u003eTom Thomson\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Digital Download - 1 image","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64340947566922,"sku":null,"price":0.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/files\/Thomson_Tom_1877-1917_-TeaLakeDam1915_main.jpg?v=1794412453"},{"product_id":"thomson-tom-1877-1917-the-jack-pine-1917","title":"Thomson, Tom (1877-1917) - The Jack Pine 1917","description":"\u003cp\u003eArtwork by the Canadian artist Tom Thomson.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis download consists of 1 image in JPEG format that is 600dpi and 5240 pixels wide by 4832 pixels tall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe picture is out of copyright and in the public domain, so you are free to use it in whatever way you'd like, including commercial use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/thomson-tom?_pos=1\u0026amp;_psq=tom+thomson\u0026amp;_psid=457b1a1ce\u0026amp;_ss=e\" title=\"Tom Thomson\"\u003eTom Thomson\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Digital Download - 1 image","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64341203517770,"sku":null,"price":0.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/files\/Thomson_Tom_1877-1917_-TheJackPine1917_main.jpg?v=1794412745"},{"product_id":"thomson-tom-1877-1917-the-west-wind-1917","title":"Thomson, Tom (1877-1917) - The West Wind 1917","description":"\u003cp\u003eArtwork by the Canadian artist Tom Thomson.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis download consists of 1 image in JPEG format that is 600dpi and 5656 pixels wide by 4944 pixels tall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe picture is out of copyright and in the public domain, so you are free to use it in whatever way you'd like, including commercial use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/thomson-tom?_pos=1\u0026amp;_psq=tom+thomson\u0026amp;_psid=457b1a1ce\u0026amp;_ss=e\" title=\"Tom Thomson\"\u003eTom Thomson\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Digital Download - 1 image","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64341392294218,"sku":null,"price":0.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/files\/Thomson_Tom_1877-1917_-TheWestWind1917_main.jpg?v=1794413059"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/collections\/Thomson_Tom_1877-1917.jpg?v=1794411950","url":"https:\/\/www.publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/thomson-tom.oembed","provider":"Public Domain Image Library","version":"1.0","type":"link"}