Tom Thomson
The Birch Grove, Autumn
1915 - 1916
oil on canvas
101.6 x 116.8 cm
Art Gallery of Hamilton
Gift of Roy G. Cole, Esq., in memory of his parents, Matthew and Annie Bell Gilmore Cole, 1967

Tom Thomson was the first Canadian artist to paint his country in a wholly new and exciting manner. Drawn to the landscape north of Toronto, Thomson’s spiritual home was Algonquin Park. But the rugged northern wilderness was more of an idea than reality, a symbol of Canada’s strength and promise. The Birch Grove, Autumn speaks directly of this dynamic, since the birch tree in Algonquin Park only grows in sunny, open areas where previous tree cover would have been removed. Thomson’s own blend of Art Nouveau and Post-Impressionism is evident in his decorative, stylized forms, broad and vigorous brushstrokes, and bold use of complementary colours.