signed lower left; signed and titled on the reverse
11.5 × 9.75 in (29.2 × 24.8 cm)
Auction Estimate:$7,000 - $9,000
Sale date:November 18 - 25, 2015
Price Realized
$6,900
(including Buyer's Premium)
Literature
Roger Burford Mason, “A Grand Eye For Glory: A Life of Franz Johnston”, Toronto, 1998, page 62
Following his departure from the Group of Seven, Franz Johnston's painting style became increasingly realistic, the artist's “search for the elusive beauty of light effects” becoming an identifiable talent associate with his reputation by the late 1920s. In a review for “Bridle and Golfer” magazine, W.G. Colgate noted that “essentially Mr. Johnston is a painter of light and more particularly of that clear, warm, mellow light that emanates from skies almost cloudless as on a Summer's day, or white hazy as in Autumn.” In “Cool October”, Johnston provides a low skyline, allowing ample space for this white haze, his light blue sky populated by thin clouds, creating a cool, crisp atmosphere. The few leaves left on the birch tree quiver in the in the breezy fall-time air.