Untitled - Shoreline Landscape, circa 1923

Mrs. M. Shiel, Vancouver Warwick Gallery, Vancouver Mr. and Mrs. Don MacPherson, Regina Private Collection, Regina Sotheby's Canada, auction, Toronto, 27 November 2012, lot 73 Private Collection, Calgary

“Regina Collects”, Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery, University of Regina, 7 September–21 October 1984, no. 47

Colin S. MacDonald, "A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, Volume I: A-F", Ottawa, 1977 “Regina Collects”, Regina, 1984, no. 47, reproduced pages 25-26

Franz Johnston held a solo exhibition of his work at the T. Eaton Company in December, 1920, when “The Mail and Empire” noted, “The position of Frank H. Johnston, A.R.C.A. among local artists is unique. Mr. Johnston is always classed as one of the much discussed 'Group of Seven,' but he has never got out of touch with the picture lovers who cannot quite get the viewpoint of his ultra-radical companions....He has the secret of the living, vivid colouring of the Northland, and catches the feeling of the wild spaces.” Johnston's landscapes reflect his knowledge of turn-of-the-20th-century ideals, being more atmospheric and decorative than those of the Group of Seven. This difference in ideology and technique may partially explain why Johnston participated only in their first show in 1920. He was every bit as eager to express his love of the Canadian wilderness as they were but he wanted to paint in a different style. By 1921, Johnston had left Toronto to become the principal of the Winnipeg School of Art (1921-24). This luminous waterfront scene at dusk exemplifies the atmospheric quality that Johnston brings to his painting.