THE GROUP OF SEVEN UNIT 6: ART HISTORY

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20 TH, 2015 WILT: -Learning about who the Group of Seven is -Explore Group of Seven art -Analyze the elements and principles of design in the Group of Seven art

WHO IS THE GROUP OF SEVEN? The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of modern Canadian artists They are known for their bright colours, tactile paint techniques and simple yet dynamic forms They painted famous Canadian sceneries of the Canadian Shield, Northern Boreal forest and Canadian lakes. They are the most important Canadian artists of the first decades of the 20 th century

HOW DID THEY COME TOGETHER? They befriended each other in Toronto between Tom Thomson, another artist, was included in this circle but since he died in 1917, he never become a part of the group They were not exclusively landscape painters until their first exhibition at the AGO in 1920 that they began to identify themselves as a landscape school They felt that most Canadian art was conservative and naturalism

FRANKLIN CARMICHAEL Born May 4 th, 1890 in Orillia, Ontario Died October 24 th, 1945 in Toronto, Ontario Painter, industrial designer and teacher In 1911, he apprenticed with the Toronto commercial art firm Grip Ltd, where he met several artists of the group He taught at the Ontario College of Art

Snow Clouds, 1938, Oil on Canvas

LAWREN HARRIS Born October 23 rd, 1885 in Brantford, Ontario Died Jan 29 th, 1970 in Vancouver, British Columbia Leader in the creation of the Group of Seven Study art in Berlin from When he returned, he travelled all over Ontario and Quebec sketching landscapes

Clouds, Lake Superior, 1923, Oil on Canvas

A.Y JACKSON Alexander Young was born on October 3 rd, 1882 in Montreal, Quebec He died on April 5 th, 1974 in Kleinburg, Ontario Early in his career, he worked at several lithography firms in Montreal and Chicago He saved his money so that he could go to school at the Academie Julian in Paris, France (until 1909) He was drafted to the war and was commissioned by the Canadian War Records to paint a portrait Known for simple forms and temperate colour

Wild Mustard, Brockville, 1922, Oil on Wood

FRANZ JOHNSTON Born on June 19 th, 1888 in Toronto, Ontario Died in Toronto on July 9 th, 1949 Attended Toronto’s Central Technical School and the Central Ontario School of Art Also worked at Grip Ltd and was commissioned by the Canadian War Memorials to record the activities of Canadian flying personnel training Principal of the Winnipeg School of Art ( ) and taught at the Ontario College of Art ( )

Fire-Swept, Algoma, 1920, Oil on Canvas

ARTHUR LISMER Born June 27 th, 1885 in Sheffield, England Died March 23 rd, 1969 in Montreal, Quebec Painter and Educator Studied at the Sheffield School of Art and the Academie Royal des beaux-arts He moved to Canada in 1911, working at Grip He went back to England to marry and returned with FH Varley, after Lismer spoke so highly of Canada Principal of the Victoria School of Art and Design( ) and became Vice- President of the Ontario College of art and Design (1920) Known for coarse brushwork and simplified form

September Gale, 1920, Oil Sketch on Panel

J.E.H MACDONALD James Edward Hervey MacDonald was born May 12 th, 1873 in Durham, England Died in Toronto, Ontario on November 26 th, 1932 Studied at the Hamilton Art School, Toronto Lithography hourses and the Central Ontario School of Art and Design He too worked at Grip Ltd He was close with Lawren Harris His like dark, tough and rich colours like AY Jackson but his style was more elegant

Fine Weather, Georgian Bay, 1913, Oil on Canvas

F.H VARLEY Frederick Horsman Varley Born in Sheffield, England on January 2n, 1881 Died in Toronto, Ontario on September 8 th, 1969 Attended Sheffield School of Art, then the Academies Royale Des Beaux-arts in Belgium He immigrated to Canada in 1912 Canadian War Records commissioned Varley to paint the war in Europe Used oil and watercolour paints Known for the use of exotic colours and unusual vantage points

Mountain Portage, 1925, Oil on Canvas