A small but important note in the artistic career of Franklin Carmichael is that in 1913 he traveled to Belgium, having enrolled at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp. His studies were cut short in 1914 by World War 1, but his brief time there impacted his painting style. Art Nouveau was an important influence on many of the artists who formed the Group of Seven; its presence in Carmichael's work leans toward the Belgian strain of the movement, as evident in masterpieces like Leaf Pattern, 1922, sold by Heffel in May of 2025 for the artist's current auction record.