Group of Seven

Section A

My defining moment in Canadian history is the Group of Seven.

The Group of Seven consisted of seven Canadian painters in the 1920's.

They originally consisted of: Franklin Carmichael, Arthur Lismer, Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, J.E.H. MacDonald, F.H. Varley, and Frank Johnston. However many others were also a part of it, such as Tom Thomson, Emily Carr and Edwin Holgate. Tom Thompson wasn't an official member since he died before the group was considered "official". Emily Carr was also not an official member of the group due to the status of women at the time. Women weren't considered equal to men, however the group admired Emily and really wanted her to be a part of it.

The Group of Seven were very unique painters. They would travel around Canada and paint the lovely Canadian landscape. The Group was temporarily split during World War I. Jackson Varley became the official war artist. The group reunited after the war but Tom Thomson had died due to an injury in the head while falling of a canoe. Toronto was the headquarters for the Group of Seven. Some travelled east and others into the far north to capture the Canadian landscape, yet the city was the centre of activity and the urban environment naturally found its way into the Group's work. Environmental artist Simon Frank, usually painted in the Toronto region. The Group of Seven have many wonderful paintings. The following are places where the group have painted in: Midland Ontario, Montreal, Toronto, Yukon, Algonquin Park, British Columbia, Lake Superior and Nova Scotia.

Section B

The Group of Seven had a very unique style. The Group used to generate public interest in the arts at the time by building up a collector base, developing popular audience, creating an aura around their artworks, expanding arts education, spreading their ideas, etc. The Group of Seven argued strongly against pastoral painting and impressionism (style of painting, smooth, very true to nature), claiming it was not a truly Canadian artistic style because it derived from European painting styles. In particular, they argued that this style of painting was too calm and sophisticated to be truly Canadian. For them, the rugged nature of the Canadian landscape required a bolder, more hearty and strong painting style and a sharp use of colour. Canada was a vibrant, rough country of vast expanses which needed to be presented in a style which conveyed this image.

The Group of Seven represent Canada in many ways. Their fine-looking art has left all sorts of people from different countries stunned. The Group has a very unique artistic style. They usually painted a very rugged nature of the Canadian landscape that required a bolder, more hearty and strong painting style and a sharp use of colour. Canada was a vibrant, rough country of vast expanses