The mysterious death of a Canadian landscape legend
When creative people die, two things dictate how they’re mythologised. Firstly, what kind of art they made. Secondly, and maybe the most crucially, the circumstances of their death. Quite tragically, Tom Thomson fulfilled both. While his scenic landscapes make up some of the most influential artwork to come out of Canada, he became a cult figure for an entirely different reason. He was reduced to an expert canoeist who died in a canoe and a landscape painter who died on the water – both facts seemingly impossible to resist mentioning when remembering his prolific legacy.
Thomson is better remembered for his unique vision, which could never been associated with a specific school or style, although it had the romanticism of Art Nuevau. He drew intensely, almost religiously, from nature. It reached a point where he could paint woodland scenes from memory, with all the attention to detail that someone painting from life could only hope to achieve. His most impactful works look almost like stained glass, honing in on the light and colours of nature the way our eyes do when presented with something truly beautiful.
The idea of Thomson being spiritually and artistically in tune with nature stems from his childhood. He was taken out of school early, which allowed him time to explore and develop a profound love of being outdoors. As is often referenced when his death is discussed, he was known as an outdoorsman, perfectly capable of fishing and hunting while out on countryside expeditions.
One prevalent story that floats around describes an instance where Thomson came face to face with a wolf. Apparently sensing Thomson also felt at home in the wilderness, the wolf just sniffed him and walked away. Likewise, it’s often mentioned that while out studying the lakes of Canada, he’d paddle out to the middle of the water in a canoe to avoid the flies.
That flimsy story is evidence enough for people that Thomson was, in fact, a canoeing prodigy and that his death must have involved some foul play. All that’s known for sure is that in July 1917, Thomson disappeared on a trip to Canoe Lake. When his body was found eight days later, he had a strange bruise on his temple.
His cause of death was officially ruled to be drowning. However, in the years after, Thomson became a legend, partly for his tremendous landscapes but also after his mysterious death. Murder and suicide remain the most popular theories, particularly after notes detailing Thomson’s feet were bound by wire surfaced. The reality was he’d got caught in a fishing line.
The urge to romanticise Thomson’s accidental death is wholly rooted in the artwork he created, which appeared to be so in tune with nature it seemed impossible it might one day turn on Thomson.
