Off-Center Views: Group of Seven on Display in Ottawa

9/24/25

Group of Seven on Display in Ottawa

Lawren Harris, Winter Morning, 1924

Art is an inherently creative act, but it tends to thrive when others gravitate to the same styles and genres. When a particular style is new, it’s not uncommon for it to get bad or ho-hum reviews. But when it attracts a critical mass of the like-minded, a veritable "school" of art is born.

Canada gained the right to self-governance in 1867, but it remained in Great Britain’s shadow until the passage of the Canada Act in 1982. Think upon that; you could make the case that Canada has only been fully independent for 43 years. No wonder the Canadian “identity” has been much discussed for much longer. What does this have to do with art?

It would be ethnocentric to say there was no Canadian art before (take your pick) 1867 or 1982–First Nations people such as the Inuit and other northern peoples, Indians, and the Métis had rich traditions–but insofar as formal painting went, much of what was considered “fine” art was European, especially British, in style and content.

The first important school of painters to paint in a distinctly Canadian style was the Group of Seven: Frank Carmichael (1890-1945), Lawren Harris (1885-1970), A. Y. Jackson (1882-1974), Frank Johnston (1888-1949), Arthur Lismer (1885-1969), J.E.H. MacDonald (1881-1969), and Frederick Varley (1881-1969). But what defined a Euro-Canadian? No one could quite agree, hence the Group of Seven got tepid reviews from the first exhibitions of their work. World War One didn’t help matters as Canadians fought under the Union Jack.

Tom Thompson, The Pool, 1915

Nevertheless, the Group of Seven came together shortly after the war. They took their cue from Tom Thompson (1877-1917) who died just before the Seven formed but he was friends with several of the painters. Several of Thompson’s canvases inspired the Seven to the degree that Thompson is often cited as the eighth member of the Group of Seven. In particular, Thompson suggested that geography defined Canadians. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Group of Seven explored how Canadians were shaped by its vastness. It is, after all, the world’s second largest nation (after Russia), yet a considerable majority of its land is Sub-Arctic, muskeg, and Arctic–filled with resources such as fresh water, oil, animals, and minerals, but relatively inhospitable. That’s why approximately 90 percent of its population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border.

The Group of Seven were mainly considered landscape painters. They seldom painted people because of the remoteness of its northern reaches. I will offer a few samples of the artists below, but two final codicils. Seven didn’t always mean seven literally. Thompson is one example of that, but at least four other painters were invited into the group. If I tell you that Jackson’s first name is Alexander and MacDonald’s was James, you’ll also see that it was a fraternity. Yet the wonderful British Columbia painter Emily Carr (1871-1941) was considered a peer.

Let’s take a look. If you get a chance to visit Ottawa, be sure to dip into its National Gallery of Art!

Frank Carmichael, The Hilltop 1921


Harris, Lake Superior North Shore, 1926. Steve Martin collects his work.

Harris, Sun on Lake Superior, 1924. Harris is also my favorite of the 7.

A. Y Jackson, 1924. Note the human figures in this one.


J. E. H. MacDonald, March Morning, Northland


F. H. Varley, Stormy Weather Georgian Bay 1921


Emily Carr, British Columbia Totems, 1930 (My 2nd favorite of the Seven)

Carr, Graveyard Entrance, 1912

You might notice that some of the landscapes are similar. I like Harris because he went to the Arctic North and captured spectacular landscapes, and Carr because she worked in British Columbia and likewise recorded different subjects.

The Group of Seven (sort of) disbanded upon MacDonald's death in 1931. However, several of the Seven took part in the Canadian Group that formed in 1933 and initially had 28 members with more to come. Here are a few other paintings and, I suspect, they simply "look" Canadian. Where else, except northern Maine or Wisconsin could they be with all semblance of human activity immersed and at the mercy of Mother Nature? Such was the impact of the Group of Seven.