Thursday, November 22, 2012
T H E
N A PA N E E
COMMUNITY / 7
B E AV E R
The legacy of the Group of Seven As I drive on my way home, I pass this one tree, which always reminds me of the work of the famous artists known as the Group of Seven, in particular a painting by Tom Thomson, ‘The Jack Pine’. Travelling in our summer drives, up north, the landscape in reminiscent of the work they did. I have always been a big fan of their paintings and studied the group in Art History class in university. Their work has been instantly familiar to Canadians. But in the early 20th century, they were struggling for acceptance, and were ridiculed by critics and the public. Thousands of hopeful immigrants were drawn to Canada during the 1900s with the federal government’s offer of free land out west. These young Canadians struggled to clear and cultivate the rugged terrain and were unprepared for the severe climate. Those not interested in working the land were drawn to large urban areas such as Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg for jobs in offices and factories. These cities were hubs of activity, serving as ports of entry for immigration and as centres for trade, commerce, and transportation. In the middle of the booming city of Toronto, a group of artists were more interested in the Canadian wilderness than in electric streetcars who worked together to develop a new style of Canadian painting based on the land. This group included A.Y. Jackson, Arthur Lismer, Franklin
Merola Tahamtan
Design Time Carmichael, Lawren Harris, Frank Johnson, J.E.H. MacDonald and F.H. Varley and in 1920 they formed the Group of Seven. In disparity to the farmers and industrialists who sought to surmount the land and to prosper from it, these artists saw in the untamed terrain a reflection of the country’s spirit. These artists were struggling to free themselves from the artistic traditions of Europe, as were other artists and writers. This desire to carve out a distinctively Canadian identity was rooted in their dissatisfaction with art that reflected European models. Although this kind of work was popular with the general public in the late 19th and early centuries. This is how this group of artists did not want to paint. While these artists expressed a blatant disdain
for the European models, the truth was, there was no escaping them. Much of Canada was populated by immigrants who had brought with them a taste of European art, and Europe, as the centre of the art world, continued to be the destination of artists in search of training, including several from the group. When the Group of Seven was formally established, the artists had known each other for more than a decade as they were exploring Canada’s wilderness, sharing their views and passion for the forth. A great influence on the group was Tom Thomson (who, as it happens, was never an official member). He loved the north and with his rare artistic talent made a key figure among his friends. He passed away three years before the group was formed. Although they all shared in the love of the Canadian land, they were very much individuals with distinct personalities and visions. The artists had first met in an old courtroom behind Toronto’s No. 1 Police Station, the Arts and Letters Club was an effervescent meeting place for men interested in the arts. Men congregated there to discuss cultural activities and exhibitions and enjoy meals. The Arts and Letters Club had many enthusiastic debates about ‘Canadian ideals’ and about the importance of Canadian subjects in all of the arts — literature, music and theatre, as well as the visual arts. Although the Arts and Letters Club was a great
The Jack Pine by Tom Thompson. source of social support, they needed an inexpensive space where they could exchange ideas and have enough room to work on large canvases. A studio was built on Severn Street in Toronto funded largely by Lawren Harris, where artists were doing distinctively Canadian work. North of Toronto, Algonquin Park stretches between Georgian Bay on the west and the Ottawa River to the east. Many city dwellers made peaceful retreats to escape the noise and activity of the city. Tom Thomson made his first trip to the park in 1912, and was filled with enthusiasm, and infectious attitude, as the other artists joined him and discovered it for themselves. Exploring the forests and lake together helped the group of friends to fuse and strengthen their ideas.
This was great until the summer of 1914, when the First World War broke out in Europe and the artists would have to go their separate ways, some having to enlist, others to take on other jobs because of the reduced demand for commercial artwork. Before the Group of Seven was formally formed in 1920, several of its members had already held small exhibitions. Some critics praised their work for the way it reflected “a Canadian spirit.” Others, however, were appalled by the artists’ bold use of colour, their broad sweeping brush strokes and their lack of attention to specific details. They are strong paintings, and they provoked strong reactions. As early as 1913, one Toronto writer had labeled them the ‘Hot Mush School.’ The news, however,
was not all bad. The National Gallery of Canada, an early supporter of the artists, continued to purchase and exhibit their work. But creating controversy was better than being ignored; the artists were happy to have the attention. Throughout the 1920s the members of the Group took jobs to support themselves and their families, and continued to go their separate ways and see vast areas of Canada. As their interests became more diverse, they did continue to exhibit as a group, and held eight Group of Seven exhibitions between 1920 and 1931. During this period, their popularity grew immeasurably, thanks to enthusiastic response of their work in Britain. With their last exhibition in 1931, the Group welcomed the contributions of 28 other artists, and decided to disband and form a new group that better represented artists across the country. The Canadian Group of Painters was formed and held its first show in 1933, exhibiting the work of 52 artists, including the Group of Seven. It is with these great painters who opened the door to many other great Canadian artists to paint in their own way and open our eyes to the beauty and mystery of our land. Merola Tahamtan is an Interior Stylist in Home & Business Design, Home Staging, Painting and Window Draperies. You can reach her at 613-561-0244 or merolatahamtandesigns@live.ca
South Shore IBA crucial to bird migration Anyone whose knowledge of migratory birds at Prince Edward Point extends barely beyond their backyard bird bath, must surely have had their eyes opened upon reading this year’s banding statistics, released in a report two weeks ago. President of the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, Cheryl Anderson, suggests that the record breaking 16,721 birds banded this year at the Observatory is actually infinitesimal compared to what’s really out there along the South Shore Important Bird Area. “The southern part of the county is a crucially important stopping off point for them.” How true that is when one considers that all those birds were caught in mist nets that occupy a minuscule wooded section of Prince Edward Point barely 300 metres by 15 metres in size (1,000 feet X 50 feet). On a map of the entire South Shore Important Bird Area (IBA), the nets occupy an area so small as to appear as barely a spot the size of a pinhead. And the birds that flew into the mist nets represent only the unwary in the wooded section where the nets are located. It is a sampling of what’s really out there, and statistically, tells us much about where these birds are coming from, and where they are going, along with a lot of other statistical data. One has to wonder how many millions of songbirds, known in bird speak as passerines, actual-
ly utilize the South Shore IBA as a staging area during both spring and fall migrations. Non birders and those with closed minds will find such numbers difficult to comprehend. After all, these are primarily nocturnal migrants, so we don’t usually see them arrive or depart. We just see the bushes and tree limbs dripping with warblers, flycatchers, thrushes and other passerines if we happen to hit a good day when weather conditions are just right. Specialized radar systems don’t lie. Their images conservatively estimate millions of migrants, and it is depicting only the major concentrations that appear on the radar screens like an advancing colossal weather system. That’s what brings the birders and tourist dollars into the County during the shoulder seasons, to view numbers of birds that even famous Point Pelee is unable to equal. Those who suggest otherwise are most always those who seldom, if ever, visit Prince Edward Point to see for themselves. I continue to be amazed at how relatively few local birders and residents take in the annual Birding Festival in May, while birders from northern United States, Quebec and across Ontario arrive in droves to enjoy this treasure that we have on our doorstep. So, what is it about the South Shore that is so special? In addition to its strategic location in Lake Ontario as one of the first
Terry Sprague
Outdoor Rambles land masses migrating birds see in the spring, it is also the last to offer shelter and fuel for them in the fall before crossing the lake. Even more important, is also the habitat that is crucial to them for it provides the seeds and berries and insects so important to provide the energy needed for the incredible flights. It is this rich habitat that results in such high numbers of species. Relatively untouched for many years, the South Shore has returned to Nature and there is no richer habitat around than that which is untouched by the meddling hands of humans. Every living thing we see here along the entire Long Point peninsula has settled comfortably into an ecosystem that purrs along relatively undisturbed. It’s biodiversi-
ty in its purest form, where a tree is permitted to mature, die, fall over and decompose in a natural sequence of events. It is here where salamanders live under rotting logs, while above them insects, slime molds, worms, bacteria, millipedes, nematodes, fungi and slugs all work together harmoniously to break down the wood. When the process of decomposition is complete, the log and other debris will then provide nutrients for other plant life. We just have to stop and pay attention and we soon learn to appreciate how important undisturbed habitat is in a natural area. Land that is developed soon becomes stalled in its ability to function productively. Habitat becomes fragmented, animal populations decline due to their inability to find their required real estate to reproduce. The developed area is soon reduced to a monoculture of only those species who can adapt to artificial habitat, dominated by concrete and asphalt where a red
cedar or a hickory, or so-called “scrubland”, may have contained a warbler’s nest or provided food for migration. It’s what biodiversity is all about and the neglected habitat here provides all their needs and allows biodiversity to do what it has been trying to do for millennia. The open spaces are habitats that all too often are being overlooked these days in our seemingly unwavering mindset that every open space must be planted with trees, or unceremoniously developed. If not only for the sheer numbers of wildlife, the South Shore IBA should also remain true and wild for the rare species and vagrants that occur, like the area’s fourth appearance of a mountain bluebird, discovered only 10 days ago. For more information on today’s topic, please e-mail tsprague@kos.net or phone 613‑476‑5072. For more information on nature in the Quinte area, be sure to check out www.naturestuff.net
Please send your Letters to the Editor to 72 Dundas St. E., Napanee, ON, K7R 1H9 or to beaver@bellnet.ca.