Tom Thomson was an influential Canadian artist best known for his thickly painted landscapes of the Canadian wilderness. Focused primarily on color relationships and expressive paint handling, Thomson’s work as seen in the piece The West Wind (1917), evokes the mood of artists like Vincent van Gogh. Notably, his larger works were often composed in the studio from plein-air studies he made in the environs of Ontario’s Algonquin Park. Born on August 5, 1877 in Claremont, Canada, Thomson's early life included an apprenticeship at an iron foundry and a brief stint as a fire ranger in Algonquin Park. Later, while working as a graphic designer at the Toronto-based design firm Grip Ltd., his work began to take on the qualities for which he is now famous. Despite his lack of fame during his own lifetime, a posthumous fascination with the artist has led to increasing recognition in the public eye. Thomson’s death is shrouded in mystery, he was last seen alive venturing out on a painting expedition on Canoe Lake, Canada on July 8, 1917. The artist’s body was found six days later, floating in the lake with fishing line wrapped around his legs. It remains unknown as to whether his drowning was an accident, suicide, or murder. Today, his work can be found among the collections of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.