Product Description

A compact edition of an award-winning best-seller -- more affordable than the celebrated original, but otherwise identical.

At a critical time in Canada's history, the Group of Seven revolutionized the country's appreciation of itself by celebrating Canada as a wild and beautiful land. These paintings of the wilderness evoke the same response in viewers today as they did when first exhibited.

The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson includes many never -- before reproduced paintings and presents the most complete and extensive collection of these artists' works ever published. The 400 paintings and drawings reveal the remarkable genius of all 10 painters who at some point were part of the movement. Tom Thomson, who died before the Group was established, was always present in the public mind. Included are works by: - Frank Carmichael - Frank Johnston - A.J. Casson - Arthur Lismer - Le Moine FitzGerald - I.E.H. MacDonald - Lawren Harris - Tom Thomson - Edwin Holgate - F.H. Varley - A.Y. Jackson

The artwork is organized by the various regions of Canada, with additional sections on the war years and still-life paintings. Introductory essays provide a context for a greater understanding and appreciation of Canada's most celebrated artists.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70414 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 444 pages

From Booklist
*Starred Review* The circle of gifted and zealous Canadian painters that dubbed itself the Group of Seven in Toronto in 1920 after working together a good dozen years would have been the Group of Eight if Tom Thomson, who, along with Lawren Harris, painted the most recognizable of the influential band's resplendent images, hadn't drowned in 1917. Art historian Silcox, a wonderfully lucid stylist, describes this pioneering group as "socially responsible, serious, fervent, egalitarian, and sensitive to the concerns of ordinary people," even though they failed to accept women artists as their equals, and expertly chronicles their mission to create an "all-Canadian art." Guided by the transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau, they sought to capture the spirituality inherent in nature, and consequently painted astonishingly rich, dramatic, even exalted landscapes. This definitive volume presents 400 supreme color reproductions, many of works never published before, thus covering the entire spectrum of the proficient and prolific group's magnificent output, which includes moody industrial, urban, and war scenes as well as idealized visions of pristine wilderness. Although each artist has his distinct style, every painting is vibrantly, radiantly, and gloriously alive: a veritable hymn to life. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
A Globe 100 Book 2003: Carefully researched... a crucial part of our visual heritage. -- Alison Gilmor, Globe and Mail, November 22, 2003

David Silcox... and Firefly Books have served enthusiasts of the Seven's movement well. -- Gary Michael, The Bloomsbury Review, May 2004

This is an important addition to the literature and an exciting opportunity for readers to discover the artists... Highly recommended. -- Paula Frosch, Library Journal, October 15, 2003

Timely and beautiful... a thorough retrospective and comprehensive bibliography... Summing Up: Highly recommended. -- N.M. Lambert, Choice, March 2004

[Silcox's] aim -- fully achieved -- is to cultivate "an appreciation of the role artists have in creating our identity." -- Macleans, December 8, 2003

Review
A must for serious students of art and generalists alike. (John Arkelian Artsforum 20070601)

As breathtaking as it is informative. By far the most complete and extensive collection of these artists' work ever published. (Judy Penz Sheluk Antique and Collectibles Showcase 200708)

A great introduction... the text is not overwhelming and so many of the artists' works are included. (Victorial Pennell Resource Links 200701)

The best introduction to the Group available. (Victor Swoboda Montreal Gazette 20030906)

This beautiful book will be appreciated whenever it is opened. It's a gift, in more ways than can be expressed. (Harriet Zaidman Winnipeg Free Press 20030906)

A visual narrative of the history and development of an extraordinary group of painters whose works have become national icons. (Robert Reid Kitchener Waterloo Record 20030921)

Good looking book... carefully researched history... some of these paintings can knock you out with their sheer beauty and power. (Alison Gillmor Globe and Mail 200312)

Already on bestseller lists, includes many works from private collections that have never before been reproduced. (Ottawa Citizen 200310)

A beautiful informative book... This one is a keeper and it deserves pride of place on the reference shelf. (Canadian Art 20031204)

Handsomely produced, the book's large format and excellent reproductions do justice... A great addition to anyone's library. (Art Times 200403)

All in all, the book is a pleasure to look at and a useful addition to the literature. (Ian Thom Vancouver Georgia Strait 20031106)

Timely and beautiful... a thorough retrospective and comprehensive bibliography... Summing Up: Highly recommended. (N.M. Lambert Choice 20030925)

This really big book is a pleasure of paint, brilliance and new work... exhaustive. Beautiful. (Jane Kansas The Coast 20031015)

Included in Pictures and Music: A Top 10 List: 'the ten most warmly reviewed books about the arts' in 2003. (Ray Olson Booklist / RBB 200309)

This is a remarkable book... an overview unique in this subject area. (Linda Turk Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal 20031001)

I commend Silcox for his discriminating taste. This is a volume of gorgeous paintings. (Robert Amos Victoria Times-Colonist 200309)

A hefty, 448-page blockbuster of pure Canadiana. (Peter Goddard Toronto Star 20031123)

This is an important addition to the literature and an exciting opportunity for readers to discover the artists... Highly recommended. (Paula Frosch Library Journal 20031208)

The book can rightfully be described, as the publishers contend, the most comprehensive and extensive collection of the Group's work. (Norm Goldman BookPleasures.com 200312)

[Covers] the entire spectrum of the proficient and prolific group's magnificent output... every painting is vibrantly, radiantly, and gloriously alive. (Donna Seaman Booklist 20031122)

Silcox... achieve[s] that balance between visual description and real in depth understanding of the history he is addressing. (John K. Grande Vie des arts 200405)

This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in Canadian culture and history. (Shelley Boettcher Calgary Herald 200312)

A visual feast... the paint quality leaps off the page. (Elissa Barnard Halifax Chronicle-Herald 20030906)

[Silcox's] aim -- fully achieved -- is to cultivate 'an appreciation of the role artists have in creating our identity.' (Macleans 20031027)

Quality of the reproductions is superb... Could there be a more beautiful collection of Group of Seven works...? Not likely. (The Beaver 20031204)

A Globe 100 Book 2003: Carefully researched... a crucial part of our visual heritage. (Alison Gilmor Globe and Mail 200510)

David Silcox... and Firefly Books have served enthusiasts of the Seven's movement well. (Gary Michael Bloomsbury Review )

The abundance of images, lovingly reproduced, is this book's great strength. (Peter O'Brien Books in Canada )

Good and compelling... beautiful and masterful... quality of reproductions is excellent... [a] mighty tome. (John Fraser National Post )

Substantial and opulent new study... [Silcox] is also a tough-minded revisionist prepared to ask hard questions. (David Gordon Duke Vancouver Sun )

350 color plates... one third... you've never seen before: portraits, domestic scenes, garden scenes. (Marilyn Smulders Halifax Daily News )

The quality of the color plates and... production is excellent... a valuable addition to any art lover's library. (Sherrill Grace Canadian Literature )

Customer Reviews

Colorful Testament To Canada's Group of Seven & Tom Thomson
Art historian, cultural administrator, and managing director of Sotheby's Canada, David P. Silcox, has produced a colorful testament to Canada's Group of Seven and Tom Thomson, artists who had broken with tradition and established a new way of painting Canada.

This lavishly illustrated coffee table book comprising three hundred and sixty nine stunning color paintings and twenty black and white portfolio drawings reflects why this group of painters (there were in fact eleven who were part of the movement) was historically significant in influencing the style and spirit of Canadian Art in the early part of the twentieth century.

In addition, they were also instrumental in paving a new and novel way Canadians began looking at and appreciating their vast nation that lay before them.

The book's primary objective, as indicated in the author's introduction, is to understand the role that the artist played in creating a country's identity, and to illustrate the importance of art in our lives. On both accounts, the book succeeds admirably.

The group was formed in March 1920, and initially the plan was to form a group of nine. We do not know why there were seven members.

The first members of the group were Lawren Harris, J.E.H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, F.H. Varley, Frank Carmichael, Frank Johnson, and A.Y. Jackson.

It should be mentioned, Tom Thomson was not part of the Group of Seven, although his spirit was present. Thomson had accidentally died in Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, in 1917.

Lawren Harris wrote of Thomson in The Story of the Group of Seven, "I have, in my story of the group included Tom Thomson as a working member, although the name of the group did not originate until after his death. Tom Thomson was, nevertheless, as vital to the movement, as much a part of its formation and development, as any other member."

Other members, who had been part of the group at one time or another, were A.J.Casson, LeMoine Fitzgerald, and Edwin Holgate.

Originally, Dr. Silcox's publisher, Firefly Books, had approached him to reissue his previous book, Tom Thomson, The Silence and the Storm. However, after several exchanges of ideas, it was decided to publish a unique book that would embody paintings published in 1925 at the height of the Group's power and had not appeared anywhere since. Consequently, the book includes one hundred and twenty three never before reproduced images from seldom seen paintings that are in private collections.

The ten sections that constitute the pattern of the book reflect the awareness of the vast differences of Canadian landscapes and scenes.

The reader is given a geographical tour from Quebec to Algonquin Park, across the Prairies, the Rockies, and the Canadian Arctic depicting, as the book mentions, "a thousand different aspects of the physical environment, life and spirit of Canada."

No doubt, the Group's preponderant legacy to Canada can best be summed up as the sense of awe these painters held for their country's beautiful natural resources, its people and its huge potential.

Included in the book are major iconic works of each painter, although Lawrence Harris has been given a predominance of paintings- the result of his impetus and overwhelming influence he had on the group, as well as his enthusiasm that kept them together.

It should also be noted that he was the most productive of the group with fifteen hundred to two thousand paintings to his credit.

These works are all listed at the back of the book indicating the artist's name, media, size of painting, year, present home of painting, and date of their purchase. In addition, readers are treated to brief biographical essays of each of the Group's members, myths and legends surrounding the Group, concise accounts of their most important exhibitions, public response, and the reaction from critics. There is also a detailed chronology of significant milestones of the Group and its members.

In order to pursue further research, a comprehensive bibliography is provided listing books, articles and parts of books, exhibition catalogues, public collection of catalogues, and motion pictures and video recordings.

All of this is evidence that the book can rightfully be described, as the publishers contend, the most comprehensive and extensive collection of the Group's work.

Perhaps, if we were to compare the Group of Seven to an American counterpart, the Hudson River School would be most appropriate.

Just as the American Hudson River School was probably the first coherent school of American art, this is equally valid of Canada's Group of Seven in relation to Canadian art.

Moreover, both groups were influenced by spiritualism, and the transcendentalist writings of Emerson and Thoreau.

Dr. Silcox most aptly describes the Canadian painters, when he asserts: "all found that their attraction to the natural world gave rise to profound ideas about the basis of life and, especially, to the spiritual dimensions of human life. The urge to find the extraordinary, or to treat the ordinary in an extraordinary fashion, and to push past the superficial or decorative to the deeper meaning of nature was a compelling idea among them."

Reading Emerson's essay on Nature, we notice his comments pertaining to the fine arts, and the influence he must have exerted on both of the groups.

"Thus in our fine arts, not imitation, but creation is the aim. In landscapes, the painter should give the suggestion of a fairer creation than we know. The details, the prose of nature he should omit, and give us only the spirit and splendor. He should know that the landscape has beauty for his eye, because it expresses a thought which is to him good: and this, because the same power which sees through his eyes, is seen in that spectacle; and he will come to value the expression of nature, and not nature itself, and so exalt in his copy, the features that please him. He will give the gloom of gloom, and the sunshine of sunshine."

When we examine some of the paintings in the book and compare them to the Hudson River School we notice, however, their differences. The American school painted with glowing warmth, using hazy, misty harmonious gradation of light. Colors are soft and subtle, almost monochromatic and quiet.

On the other hand, the Group of Seven's objective was to depict Canada as a true northern country, strong and free. As a result, foliage is bold and colorful, light is much purer and brighter, and the tints are more vivid.

As mentioned in the book, another fascinating contribution of the Group of Seven was the influence they had on future generations of Canadian artists.

One such example is Emily Carr, who had been inspired by the Group, and in particular Harris. In fact, it was her enchantment with the works of Harris, and his encouraging letters to her over the years that as Dr. Silcox's notes, "prompted her exploration of theosophy (although she preferred the transcendentalism of Thoreau and Walt Whitman) and triggered a change in her painting to work that was more powerful in its forms and aesthetic organization."

In viewing the many images of the Group, we should be reminded that they continually moved into every corner of society endeavoring to convince everyone of the importance of art, and in their particular vision of Canada. They also invited other artists to exhibit with them, and the Group was eventually dissolved in favor of a much broader assembly of artists from across Canada.

One noteworthy qualification, however, as Dr. Silcox mentions, "the egalitarian approach to art that the Group espoused philosophically did not extend to women artists. Although Jackson was admiring of the women artists in Montreal who formed the core of the Beaver Hall Group there, no women were invited to become members of the Group of Seven." Nonetheless, women artists Sarah Robertson, Marion Scott, Ann Savage, and others, were at least invited to exhibit their work with the Group.

The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson exposes the art of these great artists in a new and refreshing way, and will definitely prove of be an invaluable companion for students of art history, as well as art lovers and gallery goers.

Norm & Lily Goldman, Bookpleasures

Exceeded expectations
If you are looking for a different perspective on the art of landscape this is the perfect book. The painters in the Group of Seven are all individuals but have a similar feeling for design and grand compositions. This book has beautiful, large reproductions and it lets the paintings do the talking with over 400 finely reproduced color images. A little expensive but if you love powerfully composed, colorful landscapes, this book is for you.

Stunning paintings
With about fifty pages of well written and informative introduction about the group and their painting, this is essentially a catalogue of the artists' work. It concludes with a chronology and a general and artist specific bibliography, and a detailed list of the works included.

The paintings are reproduced sometimes two to a page and frequently one to a page and total nearly three hundred and seventy in full colour. The standard of reproduction is good and the colours rich and strong, often the quality of the brush work and texture of the paint is apparent. As a result we can truly appreciate the stunning beauty of the work and the rich variety to be found in the artists' painting.

This is a most enlightening book brimful of gorgeous paintings, if you are not familiar with this group's work, as I was not until I acquired this volume, it is bound to win you over.