Literature
Paul Duval, “A.J. Casson/ His Life & Works / A Tribute”, Toronto, 1980, page 73 for a similar work entitled “Mill Lake at Parry Sound” (1931)
Paul Duval, “A.J. Casson”, Toronto, 1951, pages 24-25 and page 42 for “October Morning”
Sarah Milroy (editor), “Generations: The Sobey Family & Canadian Art, McMichael Canadian Art Collection”, Kleinburg, 2022, “October Morning” reproduced page 137
A.J. Casson’s style and technique for landscape painting developed in richness and individuality in the 1930s. “Mill Lake, Parry Sound”, executed in 1934, is a preparatory sketch for the monumental canvas of the same year, “October Morning”. Paul Duval praised “October Morning”, sharing that the artist’s method in the composition brought his interpretation of the landscape to a fullness in terms of form and colour. According to Duval, Casson’s “integration of literal observation and aesthetic transformation reached a highly successful meeting in “October Morning”. The keen sense of climatic atmosphere which had always marked his conceptions remains, with an added strength of design and unity of color to underline the mood of awakening day.”
This vibrant oil on board painting was possibly a gift from A.J. Casson to Dr. Edmund E. Walker in the early 1930s, as this illustrious Toronto family held “October Morning” within their collection, acquired by Dr. Walker’s father, Sir Edmund Walker. Sir Edmund Walker (1848-1924) was a founder of the Art Gallery of Toronto (now Art Gallery of Ontario) and became the president of the institution in 1900. He founded the Champlain Society in 1905, which was devoted to the publication of documents related to Canadian history. Walker went on to become chairman of the board of trustees of the National Gallery of Canada in 1913, an office which he held until his death. Having been a long-time proponent of a provincial museum, it was largely through his efforts that the Royal Ontario Museum was established in 1914. In addition to being a great contributor to arts and culture in Ontario, Walker served as the president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce for fifty years. To mark this milestone in 1918, Walker was honoured with an illustrated manuscript and presentation casket, which now resides in the archives of the Royal Ontario Museum.
Dr. Edmund E. Walker (1877-1969), son of Sir Edmund Walker, was both a scientist and an artist. He was an entomologist who discovered a new order of insects, the Grylloblattodea. Dr. Walker served as an Honorary Director of the Royal Ontario Museum from 1931 to 1969 and was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s Flavelle medal for his scientific achievements. Akin to his father’s ambitions and cultural interests, Dr. Walker valued the attributes of landscape painting, specifically depictions of the rugged beauty of northern Ontario. The Norfolk Arts Centre in Simcoe, Ontario had an exhibition of 35 early paintings by Edmund E. Walker, an artist in his own right.
Sir Edmund Walker placed the Bank of Commerce firmly behind the development of Canada’s north, or the “New Ontario”, as it was known then. The foundation of The Group of Seven and their paintings of the resource-rich landscape of the north was paramount to the development of Ontario. It was natural for the Walker Family to support this movement in Canadian art and acquire artworks by A.J. Casson. “Mill Lake, Parry Sound” was painted during an important period for Casson, soon after the end of his association with the Group of Seven. This sweeping vista filled with rich colour, lush foliage, shimmering light and an expertly rendered sky is a landscape of solitary grandeur. It is a quintessential example of the carefully considered compositions of the beloved Canadian painter.
