Canadian Fine Art Auction

May 28, 2018

LOT 8

Lot 8

ALFRED JOSEPH CASSON, O.S.A., P.R.C.A.

ALFRED JOSEPH CASSON, O.S.A., P.R.C.A.
Lot 8 Details
ALFRED JOSEPH CASSON, O.S.A., P.R.C.A.

THUNDERHEADS, LAKE MAZINAW, 1952

watercolour
signed
11.5 ins x 15.25 ins; 29.2 cms x 38.7 cms

Estimate $20,000-$25,000

Realised: $22,800
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
ALFRED JOSEPH CASSON, O.S.A., P.R.C.A.
  • ALFRED JOSEPH CASSON, O.S.A., P.R.C.A.
  • ALFRED JOSEPH CASSON, O.S.A., P.R.C.A.
Provenance:

Private Collection, Toronto

Note:

A.J. Casson (1898-1992) first learned watercolour painting under the private tutelage of Harry Britton in Toronto from 1916-18. He also benefitted from working as an apprentice to Franklin Carmichael at the commercial firm of Rous and Mann from 1919-26. Among the members of the Group of Seven, Carmichael was known for his watercolours; he felt that the medium was equally suited to depicting the Canadian landscape as oil painting. In 1925, along with Carmichael and F.H. Brigden, Casson was a founding member of the Canadian Society for Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC), whose purpose was to promote the art of watercolour painting in Canada. Casson would continue to work in both watercolour and oil throughout his long career.

In Thunderheads, Lake Mazinaw, Casson demonstrates his mastery of this difficult medium. He roughly sketches in the composition with pencil, reducing the landscape to simple forms, then applies washes of greens and blues. The horizontal land mass provides a solid foundation for the billowing cumulus clouds which rise above (giving the work its title) to fill the upper two-thirds of the composition. It is in the handling of the cloud forms that Casson gave free expression to the abstracting tendencies which first appeared in his work in the late 1940s. This was his response to the interest in abstraction that prevailed in Toronto after World War II. Casson never embraced pure abstraction by abandoning the subject entirely, but found patterns in the landscape with which to create a well-structured image.

Mazinaw Lake, part of which is contained within Bon Echo Provincial Park, is located in eastern Ontario, south-west of Ottawa. Casson would have painted Thunderheads during his summer vacation, when he had time to travel greater distances from Toronto in search of subject matter.

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 8
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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.