The Materials and Techniques of Tom Thomson
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The Materials and Techniques of Tom Thomson Marie-Claude Corbeil, Elizabeth A. Moffatt, P. Jane Sirois, and Kris M. Legate Journal of the Canadian Association for Conservation (J. CAC), Volume 25. © Canadian Association for Conservation, 2000. This article: © Canadian Conservation Institute (http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/copyright_e.aspx) of the Department of Canadian Heritage, 2000. Reproduced with the permission of the Canadian Conservation Institute. J.CAC is a peer reviewed journal published annually by the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC), PO Box 87028, 332 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1X0, Canada; Tel.: (613) 231-3977; Fax: (613) 231-4406; E-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.cac-accr.ca. The views expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors, and are not necessarily those of the editors or of CAC. Journal de l'Association canadienne pour la conservation et la restauration (J. ACCR), Volume 25. © l'Association canadienne pour la conservation et la restauration, 2000. Cet article : © Institut canadien de conservation (http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/copyright_f.aspx), Ministère du Patrimoine canadien, 2000. Reproduit avec la permission de l’Institut canadien de conservation. Le J.ACCR est un journal révisé par des pairs qui est publié annuellement par l'Association canadienne pour la conservation et la restauration des biens culturels (ACCR), BP 87028, 332, rue Bank, Ottawa (Ontario) K2P 1X0, Canada; Téléphone : (613) 231-3977; Télécopieur : (613) 231-4406; Adresse électronique : coordinator@cac- accr.com; Site Web : http://www.cac-accr.ca. Les opinions exprimées dans la présente publication sont celles des auteurs et ne reflètent pas nécessairement celles de la rédaction ou de l'ACCR. 3 The Materials and Techniques of Tom Thomson Marie-Claude Corbeil, Elizabeth A. Moffatt, P. Jane Sirois, and Kris M. Legate Canadian Conservation Institute, Department of Canadian Heritage, 1030 Innes Road, Ottawa ON K1A 0M5, Canada. The materials and techniques of Tom Thomson were studied through the analysis of thirty of his oil sketches and paintings, executed between 1912 and 1917, the year of his death. Instrumental methods employed for the purpose of this analysis were: scanning electron microscopy/x-ray spectrometry, x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and polarized light microscopy. Data obtained on the supports, preparation layers, and paint are presented. Thomson painted primarily on small birch panels. When he painted on other supports, he often chose to imitate the colour of wood by applying a light brown priming prior to painting. For works on canvas, he seems to have used mainly linen canvases. His colours were achieved by using complex mixtures of pigments, and he used the same mixtures for both his sketches and paintings. The pigments that were most frequently found are alizarin lake, vermilion, cadmium yellows, cobalt yellow, viridian, and ultramarine. Les matériaux et les techniques de Tom Thomson ont été étudiés par le biais de l’analyse de trente esquisses et tableaux à l’huile, exécutés entre 1912 et 1917, l’année de sa mort. Les échantillons prélevés ont été analysés par microscopie électronique à balayage couplée à la spectrométrie des rayons X, diffraction des rayons X, spectroscopie infrarouge à transformée de Fourier et microscopie en lumière polarisée. Les données concernant les supports, les couches de préparation et la peinture sont présentées. Thomson peignait avant tout sur de petits panneaux de bouleau. Lorsqu’il utilisait un autre type de support, il imitait souvent la couleur du bois en appliquant une couche brun pâle avant de peindre. Lorsqu'il peignait sur toile, il semble qu'il ait peint surtout sur des toiles de lin. Ses couleurs consistaient en de savants mélanges de pigments et il utilisait les mêmes mélanges pour ses esquisses et ses tableaux. Les pigments qui ont été identifiés le plus souvent sont la laque d’alizarine, le vermillon, les jaunes de cadmium, le jaune de cobalt, le vert émeraude et l’outremer. Manuscript received April 2000; revised manuscript received August 2000 Introduction Thomson was a prolific painter. Town and Silcox refer to more than five hundred works, mainly small oil sketches.5 Silcox In the early 1910s, a group of artists from the Toronto area explains that: “The speed with which he worked was a factor, and founded a new landscape school. The idealistic and nationalistic of course he worked in a tiny format most of th e time.”6 He goal of these young artists was to encourage Canadians to look further adds: “Even though, according to Jackson, he burned beyond their colonial roots to their experience of their own much of his work, an impressive amount remains, considering the country and to move away from an art that relied so heavily on short span over which it was done.”6 the imitation of European tradition. Among them, Tom Thomson (1877-1917) played a key role in initiating others to the greatness Thomson displayed great talent in capturing the mood of the of the Canadian wilderness as a subject matter for painting Canadian landscape. The following quote from Silcox suggests (Figure 1). In 1920, group members Frank Carmichael (1890- why Thomson’s art is so cherished by Canadians: “The light on 1945), Lawren Harris (1885-1970), A.Y. Jackson (1882-1974), the landscapes Thomson painted was particularly adroit and Frank Johnston (1888-1949), Arthur Lismer (1885-1969), J.E.H. subtle. One can almost calculate the exact time of day and the MacDonald (1873-1932), and Frederick Varley (1881-1969) quality of the air from the colours he used. This aspect of exhibited together for the first time under the name “The Group Thomson’s achievement is what charges his work with strong of Seven.”1 In the minds of the general public and most art emotion and refinement at the same time. It also is the invisible specialists, Thomson is closely associated with the Group of but pervasive quality which locates his work in Ontario. The light Seven. and atmosphere of a locale is unique and Thomson’s significance lies in the authenticity with which he captured this feeling and Trained in penmanship, Thomson worked as a commercial translated it into the language of paint. The Canadian artist from 1901 to 1913, first in the United States, then in understanding of the landscape was finally complete through his Canada, while pursuing his interest in art. He began working in profound sensitivity to it.”7 Thomson’s tragic and mysterious oil around 1906. In 1912, he made his first trip to Algonquin death, just before his fortieth birthday, contributed to his fame in Park, Ontario, which he depicted extensively in his work for the Canada. When Thomson began painting, he was criticized for his rest of his career (Figures 2 and 3). In 1913, he left his job and crude touch and colours and for his realism in depicting what started working full time as an artist, with the financial assistance many people at the time considered the most hideous aspects of of his patron, Dr. James MacCallum. On July 8, 1917, Thomson the Canadian landscape. Today he is one of the most renowned drowned in a canoeing accident on Canoe Lake, in Algonquin and celebrated artists in Canada, and his work is an essential Park, under circumstances which still remain a mystery.2-4 reference point in Canadian landscape painting. J.ACCR, vol. 25, 2000, p. 3-10 4 Experimental The nineteen sketches and eleven paintings included in the study are listed in Table I. Sketches are defined as small works that were done in the field, while paintings are the typically larger works that were done in the studio. In addition to the thirty works included in the present study, three sketches from the National Gallery of Canada that were examined as part of an earlier study are listed in this table: Rocky Shore, Dark Waters, and a panel painted on both sides entitled Hills and Swirling Sky.8 The limited data available for these sketches have been incorporated with that generated by this study. Microscopic paint samples were removed from the sketches and paintings included in this study. When possible, the canvas and ground were also sampled. Non-canvas supports were not sampled. The paint samples were analysed by x-ray microanalysis using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an x-ray energy spectrometer (SEM/XES). X-ray microanalysis was performed using an Hitachi S-530 SEM integrated with a Tracor Xray x-ray detector and a Noran Voyager II x-ray microanalysis system. The SEM was operated at an accelerating voltage of 20 kV. The samples were subsequently analysed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) to identify the major crystalline components and by Figure 1. Tom Thomson in Algonquin Park, Ontario. Photograph Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario. patterns were obtained with a Rigaku RTP 300 RC generator equipped with a rotating anode and a cobalt target, using a microdiffractometer and a 100 :m collimator. The Because of the importance of Tom Thomson’s work, the generator was operated at 45 kV and 160 mA. The data collection Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) has undertaken a study of time was two hours. For FTIR spectroscopy, a portion of each his materials and techniques. In collaboration with the Art Gallery sample was mounted in a diamond anvil microsample cell. of Ontario (AGO) and the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), Spectra of most samples were acquired using a Bomem thirty oil sketches and paintings were selected and studied. The Michelson MB-100 spectrometer in the range 4000 to 400 cm-1. number of works is small compared to Thomson’s total Smaller samples were analyzed using a Spectra-Tech IR-Plan production, however, it was considered a representative sampling microscope accessory interfaced to a Bomem Michelson MB-120 since it covers his entire career, with a number of works from spectrometer in the range 4000 to 700 cm-1.