“Northern River”
“Northern River” is a gorgeous fall oil on canvas painting by the Canadian artist, Tom Thomson, from 1915. This is remembered as one of Thomson’s finest works which he called his “swamp picture”.
Thomson was a main influence for a group of artists that came to be known as the ‘Group of Seven’, or the ‘Algonquin School’. These artists were inspired by the landscape of Canada and created the first major art movement within the country.
The final version seen here is based on a gouache, brush, and ink sketch of a river setting believed to be located in Algonquin Park where Thomson worked briefly as a Park Ranger. It is also where he ultimately died just two years later.
This painting has an overall darker palette than Thomson is usually known for. It prominently details a screen of trees in the foreground, a motif that he would continue to use in landscape pieces. Thomson completed this painting in the late winter of 1915 in his art studio in Toronto.
“Northern River” is currently in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario.
For more on Tom Thomson, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
