Tom Thomson did it better than anyone else. He stands as the most important artist in Canadian history. A forerunner of The Group of Seven, Thomson created paintings that shaped the way Canadians view their land. "Tom Thomson: The Silence and the Storm" contains the most extensive collection of his work ever published, 177 paintings in vivid color and many more in black and white. Nearly 80 of his brilliant sketches are reproduced to their actual size, giving them an immediacy almost equal to the originals. This is the only book that reproduces over 140 paintings that had never been reproduced in color before. The accompanying texts, by artist Harold Town (1924-1990) and art historian David P. Silcox, provide an aesthetic commentary and full biographical chronicle.