At the turn of the 20th century, the growth of tourism in Ontario was rapid, and by 1907 Toronto regarded itself as “the gateway of the summer paradise of North America’’ in Muskoka, Georgian Bay, and Algonquin Park. Paintings of these regions by the Group of Seven helped to attract visitors, with their sublime panoramas and romantic depictions of the undeveloped land.
A.Y. Jackson painted the Muskoka region throughout his long and prolific career. This 1951 oil painting, “Muskoka Farm”, illustrates how the area has developed since the beginning of the century, with more densely populated farm country. A cedar fence extends diagonally across the canvas, likely defining a farm property line. The fields on either side of the fence are painted in Jackson’s characteristic fluid lines and rhythmic brushstrokes. The artist creates a charming scene of curved contours; even the large rock in the foreground has a gentle, wavy outline. A limited colour palette is used, with shades of purple and grey repeating in the rocks, fence, buildings and sky. Jackson completed this canvas while he was still based at the Studio Building in Toronto. He first stationed himself there in 1914, sharing a studio with Tom Thomson and later the Group of Seven members. Jackson’s great sense of adventure carried him from the east coast across Canada to the Rocky Mountains of the west. He made regular sketching trips to Quebec every spring and travelled to the far regions of Canada during the summer, including the Canadian Arctic. In the fall he would return to the Studio Building in Toronto to complete his canvases during the winter, including the autumnal “Muskoka Farm”. Jackson left the Studio Building permanently in 1955. In a letter from Vancouver, Lawren Harris wrote: “Your moving from the Studio Building marks the end of an era, the one era of creative art that has the greatest significance for Canada... You were the real force and inspiration that led all of us into a modern conception that suited this country, and the last to leave the home base of operations.”
“Muskoka Farm” was acquired directly from Jackson, and likely depicts a subject close to Ziska Road by Muskoka Lake. The artist would often holiday at the consignor’s family cottage near Lake Muskoka in the 1950s, spending his days sketching the surrounding area and enjoying a packed picnic lunch with the family. Referred to as “Uncle Alec”, as Jackson was a distant relative, the consignor of this painting has fond memories of these summer days spent with the artist, as well as Jackson’s many visits to their family home in Toronto for dinner.
