Birth of modernity
As the Seven meet, forty years after Confederation, Canada is gradually establishing its political, economic and social identity. Despite its growing importance on the international stage, Canada was still lagging behind in the cultural and artistic fields. There was a landscape art, but it was academic and showed little artistic innovation. In this sluggish atmosphere, a group of Toronto painters and advertising illustrators became friends in the early 1910s. They soon began to share their work, techniques and thoughts on art at dinner parties at the city's Arts and Letters Club. They shared a frustration with the conservatism of the local art scene. The Group of Seven was officially formed in 1920 as a modern art association. The artists sought to create a new Canadian style of painting, "driven by strong emotions, born of our own landscape.
Members of the Group
The influence of Tom Thomson on the formation of the Group was never denied by its members. Despite his early death in 1917, this park ranger certainly converted them to the pleasures of the outdoors. It was under his impetus that the future Seven began to depict the wilderness of Ontario. He also introduced them to the wilderness of the Canadian Shield. Together they sketched and painted in the wilderness, inspiring and criticizing each other. Tom Thomson did not live to see the birth of the Group of Seven, but its members have never ceased to acknowledge the major role he played in their development
The founding members of the Group of Seven were Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald and Frederick Varley. With the exception of Lawren Harris, they all worked as advertising illustrators at Grip Ltd., a Toronto agency specializing in graphic design. More than a passion, advertising is a great compromise for them. The director allows them the freedom to take art classes or long summer breaks to do their creative expeditions. For his part, Lawren Harris inherited a farm equipment business. In addition to providing financial independence, his status allows him to provide material support to the Group.
Artistic style
Despite their desire to assert an indigenous style, the Group's painters were influenced by the post-impressionists: Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin or Edvard Munch. As soldiers in the First World War, A. Y. Jackson and Frederick Varley had the opportunity to study the works of this period directly as well as those of the Neo-Impressionists. One cannot help but see in the dead trees or in the dark and ravaged atmospheres of their later productions reminders of the battle scenes in which they were forced to participate.
In opposition to the naturalism of the 19th century, they aim to rebalance the relationship between art and nature. They combine imitation of natural effects and expression of their feelings towards the represented motif. They often worked together, whether on location or in the Studio Building, built in Toronto in 1914 by Lawren Harris and patron James McCallum. For this reason, the careers of each of the founding members evolved along parallel paths.
Before that, 1912 marked a decisive turning point in their stylistic research. That year, MacDonald and Harris discovered contemporary Scandinavian painting at an exhibition in Buffalo, USA. They were captivated by the vision of the Scandinavian painters, especially their use of flat tints and bright colors to bring life to their landscapes. They soon realized that this innovative approach could easily be applied to their art. Their paintings are bold in their simplicity, with a strong emphasis on surface patterns.
In 1921, after a stay on the north shore of Lake Superior, Lawren Harris began to more radically schematize the colors and compositions of his paintings. MacDonald, Carmichael and Varley followed his lead in diluting pigments and stylizing their compositions. But Lawren Harris went even further. In the mid-1920s, he reduced his paintings to a few basic, almost monochromatic forms. Ten years later, he became one of the pioneers of Canadian abstraction.Home and evolution of the Group
When the Group was formed, the Seven did not present themselves as landscape painters. It was not until their first exhibition at the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario) in 1920 that they stated their exclusive commitment to landscape. From that moment on, they caused controversy. Critics compared their work to "the contents of a drunkard's stomach" and criticized them for representing "an outrage to morality". The painters responded intelligently and passionately emphasized the importance of their art as a truly national expression. They had the unfailing support of Eric Brown, then Director of the National Gallery of Canada. Seven years before the Group was officially formed, Brown acquired some of their work to add to the Gallery's collection. To silence critics, he ensured that the Seven's paintings were shown at major art events, including Canada and Wembley, UK. Their presence in the artistic landscape quickly established their legitimacy.
Between 1925 and 1931, the Seven were very vocal about the importance of subject matter, which they saw as the essential element of Canadian painting. They multiplied their expeditions, venturing ever further north in search of new forms and tones. Convinced that the spirit of Canada is felt in its most intimate substance, they merged their conception of an Arctic land with the vast untamed territory.
Their success is based in part on the additional skills of some of them. Teachers, writers or excellent speakers, they skillfully promote their work. This is how they were exposed in the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Secondly, the colorful simplicity of their work seems to be designed to appeal to a wide audience. In fact, mass reproductions of their paintings sold like hotcakes. By the time the Group of Seven disbanded in 1933, their style had quickly evolved into a traditional modern genre.Career after the Group of Seven
Varley and MacDonald founded their own school in 1933, the British Columbia College of Arts, with the goal of bringing together painting, drama, dance and music. Unable to compete with the Vancouver School of Art during the Depression, the school was forced to close two years later. MacDonald moved to Nootka, where the natural elements were at work. He set out to infuse his vast landscapes with spiritual expression. The result was a series of semi-abstract paintings that he called "modalities" and defined as "expressions of thought in relation to nature.
Varley moved to Lynn Valley in North Vancouver. Ruined after the school closed, he dreamed of returning to England. A portrait commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada allowed him to move east in 1936. In Ottawa, he sold some sketches and taught, but at the beginning of the war, his classes were cancelled and he moved to Montreal.Posterity
In the twelve years of its existence, there is no question that the Group has magnificently renewed Canadian painting. One could even say that the romantic panoramas of the Canadian Shield have contributed to the emergence of a "national vision". Their vast forests were elevated to the status of symbols of Canadian Independence. By the mid-1950s, reproductions of their paintings were adorning every Canadian school. Every museum in the country owned and, more importantly, valued the Group's works.
The nationalism that animated these seven painters was double-edged. If it initiated the formation of the Group, it also limited its development. Its influence on the artistic scene gradually wanes. The pictorial quality is relegated to the background. On this point, all the members are not equal in terms of artistic evolution. Those who become the most renowned are also the least daring. Fans will probably remember the vibrant oil sketches of MacDonald, Varley and Jackson.
But they must be credited with proving that Canadian art is capable of shaking up genres and moving into the international arena. As a result, they encouraged the creation of museums and government agencies with a cultural mandate. The Group, and especially Lawren Harris and A. Y. Jackson, paved the way for generations of artists in Canada and abroad. Their influence can be seen in the work of artists with very different styles: the Scottish painter Peter Doig, the abstract painter Jack Bush and the Group of Eleven of which he was a member. This alliance of artists was also born in Toronto, but twenty years after the breakup of the Group of Seven. The main objective was to exhibit abstract art in their city.
Today, most Canadian public museums house Group of Seven paintings, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
