Group of Seven (artists)
The Group of Seven refers to a collective of Canadian landscape painters who emerged in the early 20th century with the aim of establishing a unique Canadian artistic identity. The original members included A. Y. Jackson, Franz Johnston, Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, and J. E. H. MacDonald. Frustrated by the reliance on European art techniques, they sought to document and celebrate the Canadian wilderness, fostering national pride particularly in the wake of World War I. They embarked on numerous sketching expeditions across Canada, inspired by the striking landscapes of the Canadian Shield and the unique quality of northern light.
Their style was influenced by post-Impressionist artists, characterized by vibrant colors, bold brushwork, and expressive technique. Their first major exhibition in 1920 was met with shock due to their unconventional portrayal of the landscape. Despite initial skepticism from the art community, the Group of Seven became recognized as pioneers in Canadian art, holding several successful exhibitions throughout their active years. The collective's legacy continues to shape Canadian cultural identity and appreciation for the country's natural beauty, even as many members eventually pursued individual paths within the art world.
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Group of Seven
The Canadian landscape painters known as the Group of Seven set out to create a distinct Canadian style of painting and to explore and document the Canadian wilds. Their work arose from and contributed to the growth of Canadian nationalism during the 1920s.
The original members of the Group of Seven were A. Y. Jackson, Franz Johnston, Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, and J. E. H. MacDonald. They often socialized and discussed Canadian art at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, expressing their frustration that Canadian artists still relied on European techniques and evaluation models. The Group decided to form their own society to create distinctly Canadian modern art and to educate Canadians about who they were as a nation. By devoting their talent to portraying the full range of the country’s landscape, they sought to advance the development of Canadians’ national pride, which had begun to increase during World War I.
The members of the Group of Seven embarked on group sketching expeditions all over Canada, traveling by canoe, going on daylong hikes, and sleeping under the stars. Strongly influenced by post-Impressionist French painters such as Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, they painted in vigorous Expressionist style characterized by heavy impasto (a thick layering of paint), brilliant colors, bold summarization, and surface patterning. The group aspired to capture on canvas the Canadian Shield, an area of stone that stretches almost two million square miles from Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains and from the Great Lakes northward. They were especially interested in the distinct light of the northern countryside as well as the vivid array of colors displayed each autumn. Since the artists frequently painted together, their painting style developed along analogous lines.
When the Group of Seven held their first public exhibition at the Toronto Art Gallery on May 7, 1920, their vibrant images shocked the art world. In comparison to idyllic scenes in European style, their work seemed primitive and crude, with their portrayal of rocks, snow, trees, and even buildings, in vermilion, deep orange, and mauve. Many artists did not think the Canadian landscape merited painting; few believed the movement would last. Nevertheless, as the decade progressed, the Group of Seven came to be distinguished as pioneers of a new Canadian art movement. Over the next twelve years, the Group of Seven held seven increasingly successful art shows together, launching more than forty other exhibitions throughout North America.
Impact
The Group of Seven created a Canadian art tradition and developed Canadians’ sense of national identity by empowering them to discover the beauty of their country. The group’s influence became so broad that they no longer needed to remain together. Their final collective exhibit was in 1931. Some members of the group went on to join the artists’ collective known as the Canadian Group of Painters, which became active in the 1930s.
Bibliography
Mellen, Peter. The Group of Seven. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1981.
Murray, Joan, and Lawren Harris. The Best of the Group of Seven. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1993.
Silcox, David P. The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson. Toronto: Firefly Books, 2011.