Thursday, September 10, 2020

Portraits Of Landscapes

I left off yesterday with a view of a series of sculptures yesterday. I wanted to focus on this particular one, The Self Made Man, by Alfred Laliberte, a bronze done in 1926.


Stepping back inside the collection area gives us a view of this dramatic painting by Homer Watson, titled The Flood Gate, painted in 1900-01.


These are Haida works, carvings of the artist Charles Edenshaw.


The next few gallery spaces are dominated by the works of The Group of Seven, the hugely influential Canadian artists who drew their inspiration from the Canadian landscape and wanted to depict not only how it looked, but how it felt, as one of the display panels indicates. The Group formally organized following the First World War, displaying together for years. Some members of the Group came and went, but there were always seven. It would have been eight, had it not been for circumstances. Tom Thomson, their mutual friend, had died of drowning before the Group organized.

This is a Lawren Harris painting from 1914, titled Winter Morning.


Below, we have two paintings. Thomson painted In The Woods at some unknown point before his death. Franklin Carmichael was, with Harris, one of the Founders of the Group, and the lower painting is a field study for a larger work. Study For 'Sumacs' was done in 1915.


Frozen Lake, Early Spring, Algonquin Park is a 1914 painting by A.Y. Jackson, another member of the Group. It hangs close to the two above.

24 comments:

  1. The National Gallery seems to show very interesting objects !

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  2. Hello,
    I love the sculptures and carvings. The paintings of the woods and frozen lake are beautiful.
    Take care, enjoy your day!

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  3. I like both, the sculptures and the paintings.

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  4. Harris and Jackson sure knew Canada’s winter landscape.

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  5. The Group of Seven were a super talented bunch 😉 The Self Made Man sculpture is beautiful 💙

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  6. Canada really has produced a great deal of fine art. I always regret never having bought a fine piece of soapstone sculpture before I needed a mortgage on the house to acquire one!

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  7. ...a wonderful and diverse collection.

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  8. All ~ amazing artworks ~ diversity at its best ~

    Live each moment with love,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  9. Quite a nice variety of artwork. The sculpture is amazing.

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  10. I've always liked the group of Seven and their outdoor paintings. I remember learning about them when I was in school.

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  11. @Gattina: it does.

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Eileen: so do I.

    @Karl: me too.

    @Marie: they did.

    @Grace: they were a national treasure.

    @David: my parents had one. I think it's still in my dad's possession.

    @Tom: very much so.

    @RedPat: I do too.

    @DJan: thank you!

    @Carol: thanks!

    @Susie: I agree.

    @Red: they left quite a legacy.

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  12. I love the painting Winter Morning.

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  13. I'm with Marleen, Winter Morning is my favorite too.

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  14. I was hoping you'd do the Group of Seven. I love their art. These are especially wonderful; I've always been fond of Lawren Harris. I think you were reading my blog when we went to an exhibition in England of guitars created by Canadian Luthiers who based their designs on different artists in the Group. The guitars were works of art -- but then look what they had for inspiration!

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  15. Those paintings are really life like, such talented artists.

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  16. Loved that concept and interpretation of self made man! Well done!

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  17. I see “Miss Audrey Buller” above, 1st picture.
    I love the Group of Seven. I have seen McMichael’s collection (Kleinburg) a few times, but I prefer the Group of Seven permanent collection at the AGO.

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  18. Nice selection of art. I like seeing works from the Group of Seven.

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  19. @Jan: it's quite a work of art.

    @Marleen: me too.

    @Bill: it's great.

    @Jeanie: they were wonderful artists.

    @Gemel: definitely.

    @Magiceye: I agree.

    @Linda: I think so too.

    @Catarina: they really understood the country.

    @Kay: I do too.

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