Lumber Mill, 1935

Roberts Gallery, Toronto Joyner Canadian Fine Art, auction, Toronto, May 22, 1998, lot 120

Peter Mellen, “The Group of Seven,” Toronto, 1981, pages 154-158 and 198

Though many of the Group of Seven’s works are characterized by landscapes devoid of human contact or habitation, Casson was always drawn to the architecture and structures within the landscapes. For the artist, the buildings were just as important as the wilderness in many of his works. Particularly for Ontario and Quebec, the growth of the logging industry in Canada was an integral part of the development of both the land, regions and nation. Throughout the 1930s after the Group had formally disbanded, Casson continued to paint in southern Ontario, focusing on the villages he encountered on his trips. During this period, a noticeable shift in style can be seen in Casson’s work where the artist took on a decidedly more monumental approach to capturing buildings within the landscape and key elements of the environment. “Lumber Mill” (1935) exemplifies the artist’s growth during this period with the balanced and intentional composition, vibrancy of rich autumnal colours and the emphasis on form. Peter Mellen writes, “The works of the thirties were among Casson’s best, with firmly controlled composition and colour and absolute clarity of form.”