A.J. Casson, the youngest member of the Group of Seven, defined his artistic voice through depictions of the villages of southern Ontario and the rugged landscapes of the north. The York River was one of his recurring subjects, especially the dramatic drop at High Falls. In reference to a similar watercolour, Casson wrote, “The York River, in northern Ontario, leaves Lake Baptiste and flows through the town of Bancroft. It was while staying at a cottage on Lake Baptiste, during the summer of 1954, that I sketched this watercolour of the debris that always accumulates at the foot of a falls.”

In our active sketch, Casson captures the river’s raw energy: rushing water, tangled driftwood, and rock formations pushed into dynamic diagonals. The falls lean left, the ledges tilt downward, and even the stone seems to shift under the force of the current. True to the Group’s vision, Casson distills the northern landscape to its essential elements, making High Falls on the York River a lively example of his distinct visual language.