A.J. Casson was the youngest member of the Group of Seven.

Born in Toronto in 1898, Casson studied at the Ontario College of Art under J.W. Beatty and Harry Britton from 1916 to 1921. During his studies he commenced working as a commercial artist and assistant to Group member Franklin Carmichael, a connection that would prove to be invaluable to his future career.

Upon the withdrawal of Group member Frank Johnston in 1924, the remaining six members turned to Casson to revalidate their name. Casson joined the Group in 1926, and aside from his late entry, he stood apart from the rest of the Group in that he did not show as much interest in the northern landscape of Canada, but rather preferred to depict the forms of the rural settings of southern and central Ontario for which he is best known.

Also a talented watercolourist, it is often thought that Casson’s major contribution to the Group was to revive the neglected art of watercolour painting, an interest that he shared with Carmichael. In an effort to improve the quality of watercolour painting and to give it new respectability, they organized the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour in 1925.

After a long career in which he exhibited with the RCA from 1922 to 1966, A.J. Casson passed away in 1992 at the age of 94.