signed; titled & dated on gallery labels verso
Provenance: Kastel Gallery, Westmount, QC; Roberts Gallery, Toronto, ON
During his long and prolific career, A. Y. Jackson travelled more widely than any other member of the Group of Seven. Over almost seven decades he painted every corner of the country, even the most remote, documenting the Canadian landscape. After what were often extended sketching trips, Jackson would settle back into the Studio Building in Toronto, where he maintained a home and studio from 1914-1955. The Studio Building, conceptualized and commissioned by Lawren Harris for his artist colleagues, would be the hub of a uniquely Canadian art movement.
But the routine of the studio could not contain Jackson, who was compelled to paint in plein air and who was continually drawn by the landscape around him. This is the essence of who A. Y. Jackson was. From the early years, often on the weekends and in the company of friends and fellow artists, Jackson would head out of the city to sketch the surrounding countryside. This painting provides a snapshot of one such trip into the picturesque Caledon Hills, an hour northwest of Toronto in the Niagara Escarpment. One can imagine Jackson traipsing the backwoods and rural roads, drawn by the farms, the rolling hills, the stands of trees and wetlands that mark the region, to find his inspiration.
