A.Y. JACKSON FEATURE

1920 began with a renewed optimism in the artistic community. With the constraints and uneasiness of the war being lifted, talks of a large group exhibition circulated around the Studio Building. Lawren Harris, playing his usual role of organizer, started the arrangements for a May exhibition. Jackson, having no commitments in the Toronto area in the immediate future, packed up his things and went on a 2 month long sketching trip to Penetangueshene and Franceville on Georgian Bay. Met with a mix of different weather during his trip from late February to late April, Jackson produced a prodigious amount of work, so much so that at one point on his trip he ran out of panels. Given the timing of the trip, Jackson’s work on this trip documented the gradual change in season. Upon returning to Toronto in late April, he was told that the Group of 7 had formed and he would be a part of it. The first Group of 7 exhibition was held May 7th, 1920.