CGP CSPWC G7 OC POSA PRCA
1898 - 1992
Canadian
Beech Leaves in Winter
tempera on board, circa 1950 - 1953
signed and on verso signed and titled on a label
12 x 15 in, 30.5 x 38.1 cm
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD
Sold for: $16,250
Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave
PROVENANCE
Women's Committee, London
Private Collection, Ontario
By descent to the present Private Collection, Ontario
LITERATURE
Margaret Gray, Margaret Rand and Lois Steen, A.J. Casson, 1976, reproduced page 40
This work likely dates from the early 1950s. A.J. Casson had switched to the larger 12 x 15 inch board during this period, and the lack of a formal gallery label on the reverse suggests it predates his exclusive relationship with Toronto’s Roberts Gallery. It presents a rare subject for the period, as many of the artist’s works depicting winter are from the period following his retirement from the design firm Sampson Matthews Limited in 1957. Prior to that, most of Casson’s extended sketching trips were taken in the summer because of the demands of employment.
The strong design of the composition unites the angular rock and the layers of trees with a subtly rendered blanket of snow. Most striking, however, is Casson’s ability to successfully compose a work within a tightly restricted palette, a skill honed during his many years as a graphic designer.
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
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