Tom Thomson

By Guy Scott

The Group of Seven emerged after World War I as premier landscape painters whose favourite haunts included Algonquin Park. One of the inspirations for this group was a colleague who was not officially part of this group: Tom Thomson. He was one of the pioneers of Canadian painting who started the whole Algonquin art scene. Thomson worked as an artist/engraver at a Toronto print shop when he heard of the park from some other employees.

Thomson visited the Park in 1912 to do some fishing. Arriving at Canoe Lake via railway, he camped on neighbouring lakes where he became enamored of the unspoiled landscape. Thomson captured the raw landscapes of the park in paintings, mostly small sketches starting in 1912. He was hooked. He spent the winters working in Toronto and the summers in the bush of the park. He hung out with a group of young artists who were also enthralled by the Canadian wilderness. Between 1912 and 1917, Tom Thomson cruised the landscape of Algonquin Park: creating 50 paintings on canvas and approximately 400 smaller sketches on wood panels. He was refused enlistment into the army during WW I for health reasons, which gave him more time to explore and paint. His favourite headquarters was the dying town of Mowat on Canoe Lake, easily accessible by rail. Thomson became an excellent canoeist and woodsman, travelling all over the park and Parry Sound-Muskoka District. While he was not a hermit, most of his paintings ignored human subjects and dealt with unspoiled nature.

At the height of his fame in 1917, Tom Thomson drowned on Canoe Lake (July 8, 1917). Although the official cause of death was “accidental drowning”, rumours began to circulate almost immediately. How could such an expert canoeist drown by himself? The body did show signs of trauma. Fishing line was tied around his legs (to weigh the body down?) and his paddle was never found. The Thomson family removed the body from Mowat cemetery to their home at Leith. Stories abounded about whether there was a body in the grave. Further legends have continued to swirl ever since 1917. The rumours continued over time among the small community at Canoe Lake. Although no crime was even proven, there were several theories which led back to Thomson’s friend at Canoe Lake; a man named Fraser. Fraser and Thomson had a drunken argument the night before he went missing over money or Fraser’s wife and Thomson was (accidentally?) killed by a blow from his own paddle (how backwoods Canadian!). The body was dumped in Canoe Lake, tied down with fishing line to a weight and the paddle destroyed by fire. The legends live on!

Thomson’s sad and early death happened just as he was attracting fame. A promising life cut short makes a great tale! Inspired by Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven arose to lead an artistic movement still hailed as one of Canada’s greatest artistic movements. In the world of Canadian art, this movement still dominates the Canadian painting scene. The greatest collection of Group of Seven paintings can be found at the McMichael Gallery at Kleinburg.