Jack Pine

The Jack Pine, by Tom Thomson (1916-1917)

A maple leaf adorns the Canadian flag.  However, the painting to the left, Thomas John Thomson’s The Jack Pine and The West Wind, to be featured in a future blog, constitute powerful symbols of Canada.

13. Mendelssohn Lieder ohne Worte, Op.38 – No. 1. Con moto in E flat (please click on the title to hear the music)

Tom Thomson (b at Claremont, Ont 5 Aug 1877; d at Canoe Lk, Ont 8 July 1917) was not a member of the Group of Seven, arguably the most famous group of Canadian artists, but he is associated with the group, as is Emily Carr (December 13, 1871 – March 2, 1945) who worked on the West Coast. 

Tom Thomson died at the age of forty, in somewhat mysterious circumstances, and he did not leave a large number of paintings for posterity to enjoy, but the Jack Pine, above, and the West Wind are iconic.  Canada has changed, but when Canadians think of Canada, they remember the Jack Pine. 

Tom Thomson, artist
With his instinctive technical abilities and his intense love of the North, Thomson had all the elements necessary to become a great painter (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-17399). The Canadian Encyclopedia                              

April 13, 2012