Canadian Geographic - The Group of Seven Special Edition
EAST COAST
Where the Atlantic Ocean crashed against the sloping cliffs of eastern Canada
Few pieces were painted by the Group in Atlantic Canada, but the paintings that exist were captured in bright colours: towering green cliffs and blue seas and skies. Harris ventured to Newfoundland, while Macdonald explored Nova Scotia, Varley illustrated poetry volumes along the coast and Jackson, in typical fashion, roamed around pretty much everywhere.
Lawren S. Harris
Quidi Vidi Gut, Newfoundland 1921
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Macdonald ventured east to Nova Scotia on a couple of occasions: once in 1898, to visit fellow painters Lewis and Edith Smith, and then again for a more extended period in 1922. Macdonald, ever shaping his style around the geographies he found himself in, captured both the natural landscapes and the character of the coastal villages that provided more urban inspiration in their barns, fish houses, harbours and lighthouses.
Lawren S. Harris Newfoundland Coast c. 1921
Jackson explored his home province of Quebec extensively, making a number of forays to the Gaspé Peninsula on the southern shore of the St Lawrence. Here, Jackson captures the rhythms of everyday life in a Gaspé fishing village: the winding muddy roads leading to the sea, the curving lines of beached fishing boats and smoky clouds billowing up into the sky.
F.H. Varley
Little Lake, Bras d’or 1955