Falls at Bracebridge, Ontario, circa 1950

Wedding Gift of the Artist, 1957
By descent to a Private Collection
Peter Ohler Fine Arts, Vancouver
Joyner Waddington's, auction, 30-31 May 2006, lot 36
Private Collection, Toronto

Paul Duval, Canadian Water Colour Painting, Toronto, 1954, unpaginated

Alfred Joseph Casson was one of the few members of the Group of Seven who held a longstanding commitment to watercolour and mastering the medium. Paul Duval writes that Casson “had become one of the most powerful and expressive watercolour painters Canada has ever known. His compositions had acquired a sure formalization, his washes were laid with a consummate assurance and the boldness of his colour revealed a brilliance and depth then rarely seen in the medium.”

Falls at Bracebridge, Ontario is a crisp and vibrant watercolour depicting both the traditional characteristics of the Group as well as elements of abstracted design, reminiscent of Casson's work as a graphic designer. Known as both a “rebel” and a “traditionalist”, Casson often used rock forms in his paintings as they gave a solid sculptural quality to his landscapes. This work was painted circa 1950, while he was President of the Royal Canadian Academy and as his landscapes were becoming more simplified and structurally designed. Forms were increasingly treated as broad planes and patterns rather than detailed representations. This new approach can be seen in the angular rock formations, flowing water and simplified treeline above. His subject matter remained primarily Ontario's rural landscapes, villages, forests and farms, but his handling was becoming increasingly modernist.