The Group of Seven was a collective of Canadian artists during the early twentieth century. Best known for painting their country's varied landscapes, they were more intent on capturing form and movement than on reproducing detailed likenesses. Influenced by their older contemporary, Tom Thomson, they traveled to wilderness areas for sketching and sometimes for painting as well. The Group of Seven exhibited their works together from 1920 through 1931. Though initial critical responses to their nontraditional paintings were mixed, later they were were broadly acclaimed. In this updated paperback edition of a book first published in Canada in 1999, readers will find an informative and very readable introduction to the individual artists, the landscapes they painted, their contemporaries, and later generations of Canadian landscape artists. One interesting double-page spread features anecdotes from two art collectors who knew most members of the Group of Seven. The book's large format offers space for information and quotes as well as captioned paintings and photos relevant to the text. A concise, colorful introduction to the Group of Seven.

Gr 3-6 A group of Canadian painters in the 1920s challenged conventional ideas and created a new type of art. The text does not explicitly make this observation, but these artists seem to have been influenced by the French Impressionists because many of them preferred to paint or sketch outdoors and chose nontraditional subjects for their works. The group had a shifting membership over the course of time, explored remote areas of the Canadian provinces, and captured these environments in evocative landscapes. All of the painters were white men, but three female artists are featured in the "Other Artists of the Time" section. This attractive and well-designed book combines biographical information, art history, and art appreciation. A wealth of images are used to explain specific techniques the group employed. The authors break down the information into small, easy-to-understand pieces. Each passage is accompanied by extensive image credits, but no sources are provided for the factual information beyond a listing of experts in the acknowledgments. VERDICT While these artists may not be familiar names to many Americans, they are significant in Canadian and world art history. Their adventurous stories will intrigue young art lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA