Sold for: $65,000

PROVENANCE
A gift to David Smout from his students at Osgoode Hall, Toronto, 1949 - 1952
By descent to the present Private Collection, London, England

Yantha Lake is in the Madawaska Valley, Ontario, not far from Barry’s Bay. A.J. Casson was documented as sketching in the Madawaska area in 1946 and 1947, and in Barry’s Bay in 1949 and 1950. This stunning painting contains a pervasive tranquility – the hills and trees glowing with autumn colours are mirrored in the still lake, with the pale sky more darkly reflected towards the foreground. Spear-like projections of land from the shore pierce these reflections, bringing the eye back to the surface of land and water, showcasing Casson’s keen eye for interesting elements in his compositions. Casson’s sense of design was developed over his long career as a graphic designer for top firms in the Toronto area – with Rous & Mann Ltd. and Sampson Matthews Limited – and through his interactions with his Group of Seven colleagues, particularly Franklin Carmichael, whom he frequently accompanied on sketching trips into the Ontario countryside.

A Casson oil on panel entitled Still Morning, Yantha Lake, possibly the sketch for this painting, was one of six works presented by the mayor of Toronto to Princess Elizabeth in 1951 and is part of the Royal Collection, England.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars