1920's Project

Group Of Sevenby:

Courtney and Ryan

Meet the Group of Seven● Franklin Carmichael (1890-1945)● Alfred Joseph Casson (1892-1992)● Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald (1890-1956)● Lawren Stewart Harris (18885-1970)● Edwin Holgate (1892-1977)● Alexander Young Jackson (1882-1974)● Frank Johnston (1888-1949)● Arthur Lismer (1885-1969)● James Edward Hervey MacDonald (1873-1932)● Frederick Horsman Varley (1881-1969)● Tom Thomson (1877-1917)

So what did they do?

The group of Seven was formed officially in 1920. They were a group of artists who were working in

Toronto at the time. They quicky developed friendships because of their common belief that the true spirit and character of Northern Canada could be found in the northern lakes and trees. They all loved to travel and the wilderness. They exibited their art together because it was so different from

other artists works.

Why are there more than seven artists?

There are more than seven artists because when one of the artists died or left the group he would be replaced by another artists. Also Tom Thomson

who was good friends of the other original artists would probably have been an official member had he not died three years before the opening exibit.

What did they paint?

They painted many different images. They painted things from people and farms to towns and

cities.Most of all they loved to paint landscapes. They all loved to portray seasons, the sky, water

and trees.

What made them different?

● Technique ● Shape and

movement rather than detail ● Ideas

● They have different views and ideas about things that others saw but rarely thought about.

–Subjects – You rarely saw the

common paintings of people and animals from he group of seven

What else did they do?

● Advertising● Books● Cottage Walls● Train

Interiors● Church Ceilings

Alfred Joseph Casson

Casson was invited to join the group in 1926 to replace Johnson who had left. Carmichael played an important role in Casson's life and taught and inspired him. Casson painted allof his works in Ontario and is best known for his water colors of Ontario's small towns.

Franklin Carmichael

Franklin Carmichael composed most of his Group of Seven paintings on weekends and vacations.Unlike most of the other painters he did'nt think of painting as a full time job.Born in 1890 Carmichaelsaw some of the 19th century but died in 1945.

Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald

FitzGerald was the last member to join the Group of Seven. He couldn't afford to paint full time so he also worked as a commercial artist, a teacher and an interior decorator. Lionel lived in Winnepeg for his whole life. He enjoyed painting things that were familiar to him.

Lawren Stewart Harris

Harris is thought of as the leader of the group. He came from a rich Ontario family so he had a lot of time to devote to paintings. He paid for the groups trips to the North and built art studios for them as well. Harris' paintings are the most varied of the group.

Holgate joined the group in 1931. He trained as an artist in Paris but lived and worked in Montreal. He is primarily known for his paintings of people, but he also went on landscape sketching trips with Jackson. He had many art related jobs during his life including a war artist, teacher and mural painter.

Edwin Holgate

Alexander Young Jackson

Jackson was born in Montreal and trained as a painter in Chicago and Paris. He met Thomson when he moved to Toronto and Thomson encouraged him to paint. Her joined the army in 1915 and painted scenes of the war in europe. He was the Canadian artist who travelled the most and he painted in the Arctic, British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and the Maritimes. He most liked to paint farms and villages of Quebec.

Frank Johnston

Johnston was born in 1888.He worked by day as a designer and at night studied art.He only exhibited with the group once.In 1924 he left the group to continue to paint and make a lot more money than most of the group did on his works.

Arthur Lismer

Lismer was born in Sheffield, England. He studied art while in England and Belgium. While he was in Canada he got a job at Grip Limited. While he was a great painter, he was also a world-renowned childrens art teacher. He really enjoyed painting subjects such as fishing villages and plants in the forest.

James Edward Hertvery MacDonald

When MacDonald was 14 he immigrated to Hamilton, Ontario. He became a book illustartor, art teacher and painter. He was blessed with good writing and speaking skillso he defended the group's work and aims most of the time. He is best known for his paintings of Alogma, an area west of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.

Varly was born in England but moved to Toronto at the age of 31. He worked as a commercial artist and art teacher. Varly was also an offcial war artist. He never had a lot of money so he had difficulty supporting his family. Frederick is best known for his portraits.

Frederick Horsman Varly