signed lower right; signed, titled and inscribed “Property of my wife” on the reverse
12 × 15 in (30.5 × 38.1 cm)
Auction Estimate:$20,000 - $30,000
Sale date:June 8, 2023
Price Realized
$43,200
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Private Collection, Toronto
Literature
Ian M. Thom, “Casson’s Cassons”, Kleinburg, Ontario, page 18
A.J. Casson’s depictions of rural Ontario show his dedication to the inhabited areas of the province and set him apart from his fellow members of the Group of Seven. Although Casson’s pictures of towns and villages are rarely populated there is a sense of character and warmth present. The homes, stores and churches of the small communities are an inviting destination for the viewer. These landscapes capture moments in time with a strong sense of vitality and personality.
Including mention of Casson’s work in the Madawaska Valley beginning in the 1940s, Thom points to the decade as “a fertile period for Casson. He sketched extensively in the Madawaska Valley, at Lake Kamaniskeg, and in the La Cloche region, using both oil and watercolour. Many of these works are splendid explorations of light and form.” This is certainly true of “Northern Farm‒Madawaska Valley”, which features Casson’s structural clouds that cast enormous shadows across the valley.
