Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven

DEFIANT SPIRITS is a meticulously researched story of The Group of Seven, painting men who worked to change
both internal and external perceptions of Canada as culturally backward - "to awaken artistic consciousness in Canadians"
and to create audiences of collectors and the public for their own highly charged landscapes.

Unfortunately, they pretty much ignored a Missing Link: the fact that The United States, the UK, and European Countries
had a long time for both critics and general viewers to make transitions from the tamer traditions of landscape paintings to the wilder challenges of modern art.

Thus, with the notable exception of a few forward thinking Galleries, The Seven remained disappointed in both acceptance and sales from their show more exhibitions.

It remains a mystery why Tom Thomson did not end his mea culpas and instead find his own conscientious objector way to support his fellow painters
who volunteered for that horrible war.

It would have been welcome if the book had both been shortened by at least a third
(way too many repetitive canoe trips) and, for contrast and comparison,
had included examples of the tamer works that The Seven found repulsive enough for their strong reactions.

As well, the absence of the many, many sketches mentioned created a void. show less