James Edward Hervey MacDonald (1873-1932)

• painter, poet, one of the Group of Seven
• emigrated from England at age 14 with his parents, moving to Hamilton, Ontario in 1887
• later moved to Toronto where he apprenticed to the Toronto Lithography Co.
• in 1895 he began to work at the design firm Grip Limited, becoming senior designer after several years
• was shy, gentle, and wrote poetry
• inspired by the pioneering Canadian landscapist Tom Thomson
• began painting scenes of the Canadian wilderness shortly before World War I
• achieved his objective of reproducing the essential mood and feeling of a landscape by using bright impressionist color and stylized forms
• received major criticism for The Tangled Garden (1916, National Gallery, Ottawa):

• one critic insisted that it was far too large (four by five feet) for such an ordinary subject, and that large canvases should be reserved for scenes of history and famous people
• in the 1920s, MacDonald continued to develop his style, producing powerful scenes of forests, hills, and lakes
• was also art editor for the Canadian Forum and director of the Ontario College of Art until his death
• further reading: The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson: an introduction (1995) by Anne Newlands
• more info at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection
• more Group of Seven information

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