On July 1, 1917, Canadians celebrated the first fifty years as a nation, while in Europe Canada was distinguishing itself on the battlefields. Thirty years prior, coast to coast Canada was strung together by a network of railways which opened its frontiers to the world. This European influence was evident in the homes of wealthy Canadians, where European art that had become hopelessly out of fashion, long before the dawning of the twentieth century still adorned interior Canadian walls.
However, a small group of rebellious Canadian artists were determined to create a new way to represent the rugged Canadian landscapes which inspired their art practices. It was here in the rugged wilderness of Algoma that this group of artists eventually captured their dreams of a ‘made in Canada' style of painting.
