A.Y. JACKSON (1882-1974)

A.Y. (Alexander Young) Jackson was a Canadian painter and teacher who made a significant contribution to the development of art in Canada. He played a defining role in creating a distinctly Canadian approach to landscape art – one that celebrated the beauty, diversity and character of the nation’s natural environment.¹

As a founding member of the Group of Seven, established in 1920, Jackson helped break away from traditional European artistic influences and establish a new visual language rooted in Canada’s own experiences. His paintings captured not only the physical beauty of the landscape but also the changing relationship between people and place.

In addition to his work with the Group of Seven, his long career included serving as a war artist during World War I (1917–19) and teaching at the Ontario College of Art (OCA, now OCAD University) in 1925 and teaching at the Banff School of Fine Arts, from 1943 to 1949. In his later years he was artist-in-residence at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinberg, Ontario.²

A.Y. Jackson’s legacy extends far beyond his celebrated landscapes. Through his art, leadership and commitment to Canadian creativity, he helped shape a national artistic identity and demonstrated the power of art to connect people with the places they call home. 

Learn more about A.Y. Jackson

¹ The Group of Seven, A.Y, Jackson

² Ibid

Image Credit: A.Y. Jackson (1882–1974), First Snow, Algoma, between 1919 and 1920, oil on canvas, 107.1 x 127.7cm, In memory of Gertrude Wells Hilborn, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1966.7