Sold for: $9,375

PROVENANCE
The Fine Art Galleries, T. Eaton Co, Toronto
Carroll Fine Arts Limited, Toronto
Private Collection, Norway

This work is a classic example of Franz Johnston’s post-Group of Seven style. In it, he focuses primarily on luminosity, with the dense shadows within the trees counterpoint to the illuminated snow and teal-blue sky. More classically resolved than his earlier work, these mid-career examples nonetheless showcase his painterly skill and dexterous handling of paint.

The verso of this painting holds interest as well. It bears Johnston’s studio label in the center, as well as a Carroll Fine Arts label. In existence until sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s, Carroll Fine Arts, along with nearby Garfield Galleries, handled Johnston’s art at a time just before the Canadian art market began to establish itself. Prior to that, other than via artists’ organizations such as the Royal Canadian Academy of Artists, or directly from the artist’s studio, one of the few places Canadian art could be purchased was through Eaton’s Department Store locations in Toronto and Hamilton. The remnant of an Eaton’s Fine Art label in the upper right suggests it once hung in one of Eaton’s fine art departments.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

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