Tom Thomson

Tom Thomson was a Canadian painter whose vivid images of the northern wilderness helped shape his country's art. Born in Ontario in 1877, he worked as a commercial artist before discovering his passion for painting the rugged lakes and forests of Algonquin Park. He made bold, colorful oil sketches outdoors, capturing the wild beauty of the Canadian north with fresh, energetic brushwork.

He was closely tied to the artists who would form the famous Group of Seven, though he died before the group officially formed. His death by drowning in 1917 at just thirty nine, in the wilderness he loved, remains shrouded in mystery. Thomson's brilliant, short career and his passionate northern landscapes have made him a legendary figure in Canadian art.