Thomson, Sketch for The West Wind

Tom Thomson (1877–1917) was the most influential and enduringly popular Canadian artist of the early 20th century. An intense, wry, and gentle artist with a canny sensibility, he was an initial inspiration for what became the Group of Seven. He was one of the first painters to give acute visual form to the Canadian landscape. His works portray the natural world in a way that is poetic but still informed by direct experience. He produced about 50 canvases and more than 400 sketches in his short professional career. Many of his paintings, such as The West Wind (1916–17) and The Jack Pine (1916–17), have become icons of Canadian culture. His legend only grew after his mysterious untimely death at the age of 39.