signed lower right; signed, titled and dated “July 1981” on the reverse
12 × 15 in (30.5 × 38.1 cm)
Auction Estimate:$15,000 - $20,000
Sale date:September 24, 2020
Price Realized
$16,800
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Art Mode Gallery, Ottawa
Private Collection, St. John’s
Literature
Peter Mellen, “The Group of Seven”, Toronto, 1970, page 24
Margaret Gray, Margaret Rand and Lois Steen, “A.J. Casson”, Agincourt, Ontario, 1976, page 50
Oxtongue Lake is situated in the northern part of Algonquin, with a sandy shoreline and a deep forest behind it. “Edge of the Woods, Oxtongue Lake” shows us Casson’s perspective from the shore looking into the wilderness beyond. His use of mossy greens contrasted against brighter tones make for an atmospheric rendition of Oxtongue Lake, showing how the warm sun would illuminate the trees in the foreground while the deeper area of the forest was cast upon by shadows and clouds. Casson focuses on the formal qualities of nature, painting the leaves in an abstracted and geometric style, while maintaining his craft in replicating nature’s aura.
Alfred Joseph Casson - Edge of the Woods, Oxtongue Lake | Cowley Abbott
