Spring Ice is a 1915–16 oil painting by Canadian painter Tom Thomson. The work was inspired by a sketch completed on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. The completed canvas is large, measuring 72.0 × 102.3 cm. Painted over the winter of 1915–16, it was completed in Thomson's shack behind the Studio Building in Toronto. The painting was produced as he was in the peak of his short art career and is considered one of his most notable works. While exhibited in a show put on by the Ontario Society of Artists, the work received mixed to positive reviews. In 1916 it was purchased by the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and has remained in the collection ever since.
Spring Ice
River, March–April 1915. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
The Opening of the Rivers: Sketch for "Spring Ice", Spring 1915. Oil on composite wood-pulp board, 21.6 × 26.7 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Spring, Spring 1914. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg
Thomas John Thomson was a Canadian artist active in the early 20th century. During his short career, he produced roughly 400 oil sketches on small wood panels and approximately 50 larger works on canvas. His works consist almost entirely of landscapes, depicting trees, skies, lakes, and rivers. He used broad brush strokes and a liberal application of paint to capture the beauty and colour of the Ontario landscape. Thomson's accidental death by drowning at 39 shortly before the founding of the Group of Seven is seen as a tragedy for Canadian art.
Thomson, c. 1910–1917
The Jack Pine, Winter 1916–17. 127.9 × 139.8 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Portrait of a young Tom Thomson, c. 1900
Profile of Thomson wearing a suit and hat, c. 1905–10. During this time, Thomson was known to dress well and spend his money on nice clothes and fine dining.