Thomson, Tom National Historic Person
Canoe Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario
Tom Thomson
(© Library and Archives Canada / PA-121719)
Address :
Highway 60, Canoe Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1958-05-27
Life Date:
1877 to 1917
Other Name(s):
-
Thomson, Tom
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Artist, influenced the formation of the Group of Seven
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Highway 60, Canoe Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario
This distinguished painter was born in Claremont, Ontario, and grew up near Owen Sound. While working as a photo-engraver in Toronto, he met some of the artists who later formed the Group of Seven. They encouraged him to pursue a career in art and he, in turn, introduced them to the north country and exercised a profound influence on their work. From 1912, Thomson visited Algonquin Park where the colours and moods captured his imagination. Before his death on this lake he had developed a bold new way of depicting our wilderness and had given Canadians a unique artistic heritage. Many of his greatest works were inspired within a few miles of this site.