page 213: << Thomson's small oil sketches of the last years palpitate and throb. They are as direct in attack as a punch in the nose, and the sense of movement in them has the sweep and pull of a paddle entering the water. >> This sentence alone gave me a new way to look at Thomson's paintings. Marvelous essays and illustrations. Now at Alberta Art Gallery: Tom Thomson: North Star (Feb 19 to May 26)