Fall Colours, Kingsmere, Ontario, 1939

Acquired directly from the Artist Mrs. N.D. Young, 1955 By descent to Mr. Doug Young, 1970 Masters Gallery, Calgary, March 1997 Private Collection, Calgary

In 1938, Arthur Lismer accepted a position as a visiting professor at Teacher's College, Columbia University. He devoted the remainder of his time to visiting New York City schools and colleges; there, he studied the concepts of art education. He then accepted a post at the National Gallery, arriving in Ottawa in October 1939. This painting would have been completed right at this time, as it depicts the fall foliage in Kingsmere, a suburb of Ottawa. The intention was to organize a national art program, but the plan was never fully realized and the outbreak of the Second World War drastically reduced the activities of the gallery. However, Lismer continued lecturing on historical artists such as Brueghel, Goya, Daumier, Cézanne, and Van Gogh. In 1940, he became an Educational Supervisor for the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. In 1946, he was elected a full member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. The foliage and changing of the seasons were a constant preoccupation of the Group of Seven artists. In this painting, a distinct evergreen tree stands prominently near the centre, contrasting with the surrounding trees in warm autumn hues. The background features rolling hills or distant trees under a blue and grey sky, adding depth and atmosphere. Lismer has used his signature thick and expressive brushstrokes, giving the painting a textured, dynamic quality.