The Jack Pine Tom Thomson Analysis

The Jack Pine is an oil painting by Canadian artist Tom Thomson in 1917. Tom Thomson was born on August 5th, 1877 near Claremont, Ontario, northeast of Toronto. He died between July 8th and July 16th in 1917 due to drowning in Canoe Lake (Huff). This painting clearly represents the pine species in Canada. The pine is placed in the centre of the canvas, with its branches bowed, it extends to nearly the full length of the canvas. It rises from a rocky foreground, and it is silhouetted against the water and sky as well as the rocky mountain. The jack pine stands out against the background due to its darker, green colour. The sky is a mixture of faded colours such as blue, green and yellow. In this painting, the water is a blend of light blue

and green. Although the dark blue mountains in the background stand out as well, the painting mainly focuses on the large jack pine. This painting is now in the collection of the National Gallery of Ontario in Ottawa. Tom Thomson painted The Jack Pine at Carcajou Bay on Grand Lake in Algonquin Park. He created an oil sketch in 1916 that he would use for the final painting in 1917. Thomson’s technique shows the rugged beauty of Algonquin Park. This painting also shows that the jack pine can survive against wind and cold similarly to Canada. The Jack Pine is one of Tom Thomson’s most famous painting, the other being The West Wind, also painted in 1917, not long before he drowned in Algonquin Park (Simpson). 
The Group of Seven – 1920

The Group of Seven was formed in 1920 and consisted of seven members: Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A.Y.

Jackson, Franz Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. Macdonald, and F.H. Varley (Leigh). The Group of Seven was considered an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. All befriend each other in Toronto between 1911 and 1913, except Harris, who was independently wealthy. They made their living as commercial artists which create art for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art includes designing books, signs, posters, and advertisements. Tom Thomson was also included in this circle of friends but never became a member of the Group of Seven since he died in 1917. He influenced the Group in painting the rugged northern Ontario landscape. The Group of Seven were the most important Canadian artists of the beginning of the twentieth century as well as Tom Thomson, Emily Carr, and David Milne. They have influenced many artists such as the abstract painter, Jack Brush, and figurative painter, Peter Doig. The Group of Seven’s paintings is an important part to Canada’s identity and their paintings show that Canada is known for having snowy mountains, boreal forests and endless lakes (Varley). Some paintings by the members of the Group of Seven include: “Mirror Lake” painted in 1929 by Franklin Carmichael, and “Northland Hilltop” painted in 1931 by J.E.H. Macdonald

(Leigh).  

Tree Trunk was painted by Emily Carr in 1931. It is an oil painting of a tree trunk – hence, the title of the painting itself. Emily Carr was born on December 13th, 1871 in Victoria, British Columbia and passed away on March 2nd, 1945 in her hometown. She was named “The Mother of Modern Arts” by the Group of Seven, whom she worked closely with (Shadbolt). Similar to “The Tree of Life,” the tree centers most of her paintings. “The Tree Trunk” shows a tall tree that appears to be cropped at the side. The negative space overpowers the positive space which can be seen from her many paintings of nature such as Formalized Cedar painted in 1931. The background of this painting is a mixture of colours such as: indigo, black, shades of green and yellow. Although Carr’s technique of blending is beautiful, the tree trunk placed in the centre catches your eye and is the main focus. Emily Carr believed that trees possess a life of their own and she supported the fact that nature should not be destroyed. Although, many logging industries went on with the idea of clear cutting in British Columbia which was where Carr lived at the time (“Emily Carr”). Emily Carr is considered one of the major artists in North America during that decade. She was a woman fighting many obstacles because of the gender inequality in Canada. Women had a difficult time finding success or even a job especially artists. Carr was “a favourite of the women’s movement” and persevered to find money by being an artist (Shadbolt).