ART

The Group of Seven

Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven

shared a passion for Canada’s landscape and a strong desire to create a distinctive visual language

From Art Gallery of Ontario

Catalog no. 380

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In the year end diaries 2020 , we started going through some of the walks, readings, discussions done in these landscapes

Canada – as a mental construct – came to us as a family in 2004 when we were in Tripoli Libya and some Indian diaspora living in Tripoli introduced this concept to us. Then we spent a few years in Malta – Sweiqi. Art has been a way of life for is- my paternal grandfather used to take the family for walks and cultural tours to the monuments, museums and gardens of Delhi Agra region of North India.

My father evolved this concept further and we started with the Peshwa museum of Pune, Maharashtra, Western India .

In Malta we were introduced to the Caravaggisti art movement, which like the Group of Seven of North America- Canada left an imprint on the Consciousness of the Country and region

ART DIARY 2016

The interaction with artists of Visual Arts Mississauga- ( VAM ) Riverwood Conservancy made us see figures, buildings, forests, trees, leaves ( in different seasons) in a more intimate way

That was the year I did some sessions of figure sketching and Sahil joined the Nature drawing classes.

ART DIARY 2017-2019

The Royal Ontario Museum organizes great special exhibitions . This year we went to explore the Canada 150 exhibits- and the Missing Chapters, Jodhpur, and Age of Rembrandt exhibitions stand out

The Art Gallery of Ontario organized the exhibitions on Impressionism in the Age of Industry. This made us interrogate layers of city-scapes and reminded us of similar exhibitions in India – The Natural History Society Mumbai, and Ganga – National Museum Delhi.

2019- Pottery classes at VAM – the art created at Riverwood has found its place in different corners of our house and garden in Candlestick Circle.

2020 – Landscapes

This year we went to Kawartha Lakes area and did some walks and boat rides in Bobcageon

It was a time to tell my sons some rhythms taught to me by my father – the 100 day program, The Revision plan, the Daily and Weekly Review, How to make a subject and Topic Index and the value of Followup.

Informal discussions and settings sometimes help to break icy intellectual and emotional mountains.