Sketch for “Thunderstorm”, 1932

Roberts Gallery, Toronto Private Collection

Graphite sketches of the period made “in situ” are typically spartan line drawings which, considering Casson’s aim to preserve the past, faithfully capture the details of the local architecture. The town and buildings are often identified. This sketch is different, serving another purpose. It is rapidly executed, with attention to detail being less important than the overall effect which is achieved through the fall of light and shadow on the generalized forms. Ruled lines indicate the perimeters of the finished work. The sketch demonstrates Casson’s working method and how he used his repertory of rural buildings in his creative work. In the final composition for “Thunderstorm” (lot 119), Casson made a number of changes to the sketch for greater dramatic effect. The visual field has been widened slightly, and the façade of the central structure flopped and shifted to the left. The artist also moved the red brick house and rotated it slightly to reveal more of the side in perspective (now reimagined as the front elevation), thus increasing the area of shadow, framed by two telephone poles. The result is a more unified composition, with the two main buildings relating more closely to one another. The repetition of steeply-pitched gables zig-zagging across the picture plane heightens the drama and reinforces the unsettled atmosphere that prevails. We extend our thanks to Christine Boyanoski, independent art historian and curator of Canadian art, for her assistance in researching this artwork and for contributing the preceding essay.