Walking Tour of Historic Thornhill - J.E.H. MacDonald plaque

D2 SIDE TRAIL, Oakbank Pond - Two blocks west, along Centre Street, this pond is a small nature preserve, home to ducks and Canada geese.

Back to image of Oakbank Pond

J. E. H. MacDonald 1873 -1932
MacDonald, one of Canada's outstanding artists, lived here 1913-1932. Born in Durham, England, of Canadian parents, he came with his family to Hamilton in 1887. Though his formal art training was limited, he became one of the founders of the "Group of Seven" and participated in most of its exhibitions. MacDonald's impressive painting "A Tangled Garden", shown in the 1916 Ontario Society of Artists exhibition, strongly indicated the development of his later style. In 1929 he was appointed Principal of the Ontario College of Art, a position he held until his death. His extraordinary sense of colour and design vividly interpreted the Canadian landscape in such outstanding paintings as "The Elements", "The Solemn land"
and "Mountain Snowfall, Lake Oesa".

Erected by the Archaeological and Historical Sites Board,
Ministry of Colleges and Universities

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