Tom Thomson

Tom Thomson 1877-1917, Canadian painter of typically Canadian outdoor scenes, b. Ontario. Thomson was self-taught. Most of the year he served as a guide at Algonquin Provincial Park in order to support himself as a painter. His love of the outdoors was reflected in bold, vibrantly colored landscapes, such as A Northern Lake (National Gall., Ottawa). Thomson was mysteriously drowned in the summer of 1917.

Thomson, Tom (1877–1917). Canadian landscape painter, one of the main creators of an indigenous Canadian school of painting. Most of his career was spent as a commercial artist in Toronto, and it was only in 1914 that he was able to take up painting full time. Much of his painting was done out of doors, notably a series of fluently spontaneous oil sketches he produced in Algonquin Park, a huge nature reserve north-west of Toronto. Among his more formal paintings, the most famous is the bold and brilliantly coloured Jack Pine (1917, NG, Ottawa), which has become virtually a national symbol of Canada. Thomson's career ended tragically when he was mysteriously drowned in Algonquin Park, but his ideals were continued by the artists who formed the Group of Seven, to whom he was an inspiration. His death was probably an accident, but the uncertainty surrounding it helped to establish him as a legendary figure in Canadian art.

Thomson, Tom (b Claremont, Ontario, 4 Aug. 1877; d Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, Ontario, 8 July 1917). Canadian landscape painter, one of the main creators of an indigenous Canadian school of painting. Most of his career was spent as a commercial artist in Toronto, and it was only in 1914 that he was able to take up painting full-time. Much of his painting was done out of doors, notably a series of fluently spontaneous oil sketches he produced in Algonquin Park, a huge nature reserve north-west of Toronto. Among his more formal paintings, the most famous is the bold and brilliantly coloured Jack Pine (1917, NG, Ottawa), which has become virtually a national symbol of Canada. Thomson's career ended tragically when he was mysteriously drowned in Algonquin Park, but his ideals were continued by the artists who formed the Group of Seven, to whom he was an inspiration. His death was probably an accident, but the uncertainty surrounding it helped to establish him as a legendary figure in Canadian art.