Tom Thomson: North Star

by Sarah Milroy (Editor), Ian Dejardin (Editor)

Tom Thomson is the undisputed master of the oil sketch. A towering figure in the history of Canadian art after just five years of professional practise, he stunned audiences with his fresh and avant-garde experimentation, evoking his experience of the Ontario landscape in dozens of dazzling miniature masterworks. Thomson’s death in 1917 triggered the formation of the Group of Seven and the ascendancy of landscape painting as a national preoccupation. Tom North Star is the first book to focus on Thomson’s small-scale sketches and brings together a variety of voices to interpret his legacy with fresh eyes. Among them are the McMichael’s Executive Director Ian A.C. Dejardin, historian Douglas Hunter, and Algonquin knowledge-keeper and cultural activist Christine McRae Luckasavitch, as well as a number of contemporary Canadian artists from all parts of Canada. The essays in combination with more than 150 reproductions of Thomson’s painted sketches cast new light on the enduring influence of one of Canada’s most iconic artists.

272 pages, Hardcover

Published July 25, 2023

About the author

Sarah Milroy is a Toronto writer and art critic. She served as editor and publisher of Canadian Art magazine (1991–1996) and as art critic for the Globe and Mail (2001–2010). Milroy has contributed to publications on the work of Gathie Falk, Jack Chambers, Greg Curnoe and Fred Herzog, and is a regular contributor to Canadian Art, Border Crossings and The Walrus.

Reviews

[midori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection at McMichael & this exhibition book captures it beautifully.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully designed and carefully chosen contributors who add an informative and visual glimpse into the life and work of a Canadian trailblazer.
The piece written by Christine Luckasavitch has left me longing to visit and quietly appreciate the Algonquin Park area.
Have seen this exhibition, I was surprised at how small the majority of the paintings were, and the glare from the lights made is difficult to stare too long at individual pieces. The paintings in this book are beautifully reproduced and often larger than life.
Certainly, this book is a gem in my collection.