Canadian Geographic - The Group of Seven Special Edition
THE ARCTIC
Several group members ventured to polar landscapes they had never seen before
The Group of Seven were among the first artists of European ancestry to depict the scenery of these northernmost Canadian climes, and showcase their icebergs, mountains and swirling skies to a general audience. Within the group, A.Y. Jackson was the first to go North, followed swiftly by Harris, and, later, by Frederick Varley.
Lawren S. Harris Icebergs, Davis Strait 1930
Lawren S. Harris
Eclipse Sound and Bylot Island 1930
“While we were on this trip, Jackson and I painted a large number of sketches,” wrote Harris in 1948 of his 1930 voyage with Jackson (Jackson’s second trip) on the S.S. Beothic. “Although painting was difficult as we usually saw the most exciting subjects while steaming through channels or while being bumped by pack ice. On many occasions we had to take rapid notes. These notes we worked up into sketches, crowded in our small cabin, seated on the edge of our respective bunks with only a port-hole to let in the light.”
A. Y. Jackson
Ice Berg at Godhaven, Greenland 1930
Varley had longed to go to the Arctic, inspired by Jackson and Harris’ trips almost a decade earlier. Eventually his chance came in 1938 when he was invited to board the R.M.S. Nascopie to document the Northwest Territories, to showcase the territory to the Canadian public. “As light passing through a prism gives us the magic of spectrum colours, so can be an Arctic sky at dawn, at sun down and occasionally through the night,” said Varley of the icy world he found himself in.
A.Y. Jackson Ice, Davis Strait 1927