Canadian Art Select Online Auction

April 1919, 2018
Auction begins to close at 12:00 am ET

Online Auction
LOT 112

Lot 112

FRANK HANS JOHNSTON, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.

FRANK HANS JOHNSTON, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.
Lot 112 Details
FRANK HANS JOHNSTON, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.

OCTOBER PLOUGHING

oil on masonite
signed; titled on the artist’s label on the reverse
24 ins x 34.5 ins; 61 cms x 91.4 cms

Estimate $10,000-$15,000

Realised: $16,800
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
FRANK HANS JOHNSTON, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.
  • FRANK HANS JOHNSTON, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.
  • FRANK HANS JOHNSTON, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.
Provenance:

Private Collection, Toronto

Literature:

Roger Burford Mason, A Grand Eye for Glory: The Life of Franz Johnston, Dundurn Press, Toronto/Oxford, 1998, page 80.

Ross King, Defiant Spirits: the Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven, Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver, 2010, page 379.

Note:

Ross King writes: "After leaving the Group of Seven, Frank Johnston put geographical as well as artistic distance between himself and his former colleagues," thereby earning a number of detractors. These were primarily fellow artists, who felt that Johnston had committed, in King's words "a kind of apostasy" as he ventured away from the more prescribed style of the Group. But with a family to support, Johnston gambled that he could succeed as well, or perhaps even better, on his own. It was a gamble he won, which may have rankled the Group.

In fact, Johnston enjoyed tremendous commercial success. His paintings of pastoral subjects such as this lot were, and remain, enormously popular. As proof of this, Burford notes "that of the eighty paintings (Johnston) exhibited in the Eaton's show of 1943, more than half sold in the first three weeks at prices ranging from fifty to one thousand dollars..." But it wasn't exclusively economic success that Johnston enjoyed; his paintings were critically popular, too. Burford writes that the Globe and Mail's critique of Johnston's 1944 exhibit at Eaton's College Street enthused that "the workmanship was utterly remarkable,” a truth, says Burford that "even Johnston's greatest detractors had to allow of his work.”

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 112
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.