Tom Thomson Plein-Air

There are a couple of works by an artist named Tom Thomson that I’ve come across recently and really enjoyed. I’m not very familiar with his work, and I only discovered him not long ago.

Thomson often applies thick layers of paint in a way that feels visceral and raw. That approach works especially well in Summer Day. It’s a small painting, and it looks like something he may have made quickly. What catches me, though, is how expansive it feels. I’m genuinely surprised by the sense of space he creates, especially since the composition seems to push against what I’d normally think of as “rules.”

In a basic way, it’s just horizontal bands of color. And yet it works completely. I keep coming back to it.

Tom Thomson Summer Day 1915

I also really liked this work “Wet Snow”.

Tom Thomson Wet Snow 1914

This is a painting by Eugène Boudin Seascape with Open Sky 1860. I like this work a lot as well. You can see it is very similar to what Thomson did. Both seem to me to be quick studies. I doubt Thomson was aware of this work. I’m adding it because its kind of interesting to compare the two artists here.