2019 May | Hodgins Art Auctions

Notes:

signed, titled & editioned in pencil; monogrammed & dated in the block
MBL77

In 1924 and 1925 (before and after a one year leave back to England), the Phillips family spent several memorable months in Muskoka. Phillips fondly recalls the west facing view and his many evenings spent observing the sky and lake: “To be enjoyed a sunset should be viewed from the depths of an easy-chair set on the screened porch of one’s home. In those circumstances the mind may be attuned to the evening splendour in tranquility and peace”.

Reference: p. 73 “The Tranquility and the Turbulence: The Life and Work of Walter J. Phillips” (Roger Boulet; M. B. Loates Publishing Ltd.; 1981). This work is illustrated on page 222 of “Walter J. Phillips: The Complete Graphic Works” (Roger Boulet; M. B. Loates Publishing Ltd.; 1981).

Notes:

signed lower right; signed, titled & dated verso and on the artist’s label
Provenance: Roberts Gallery, Toronto ON; Collection Claude Courcy, Montreal QC; Peter Ohler Fine Arts, Vancouver BC

Toronto born A.J. Casson received his early artistic training at Hamilton Technical School, subsequently apprenticing at the Laidlaw Lithography Company. When his family moved back to Toronto, in 1915, he worked as a freelance designer while attending evening art classes at Central Technical School. His work was first exhibited publicly in 1917, at the Canadian National Exhibition. In 1919, Casson accepted a position at the prominent Toronto firm Rous and Mann Publishing, as Franklin Carmichael’s assistant. Carmichael, who became his greatest influence, encouraged the young artist, took him on sketching trips, and introduced him to the Arts and Letters Club. Casson soon became an invited contributor to the Group of Seven shows and, in 1926, he was invited to join the Group, replacing Franz Johnston who had only exhibited in the Group’s first exhibition. That same year, Casson became an associate member of the Royal Canadian Academy, and left Rous & Mann for the Sampson Matthews Company. Casson, who had a strong sense of design and leadership, eventually became Art Director and Vice President. While he continued to paint extensively, Casson only became a full-time artist upon his retirement from the firm in 1957.

A. J. Casson’s design and illustration background is evident in his work, and integral to his evolution as an artist and to the development of his distinct artistic style. His works are amongst the most recognizable and beloved of Canadian collectors. Casson is particularly identified with his Ontario landscapes, noted for their graceful and streamlined composition, and for his carefully considered manipulation of pattern, light and colour.

A. J. Casson was a passionate and avid promoter of Canadian art, and was very active in the artistic community over his long and distinguished career. He served as president of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (1948-52), president of the Ontario Society of Artists (1941-44) and sat on several boards including what is now the Art Gallery of Ontario (1955-59). He was also instrumental in founding the Canadian Group of Painters, the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, and in instigating the WWII war artist’s program.

Notes:

signed lower right; signed, titled & dated verso

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signed lower right; signed, titled & dated verso

Notes:

signed lower left and verso
Provenance: Masters Gallery, Calgary AB

Rita Mount was born in 1888 in Montreal, and began her artistic studies at age 10. While taking summer classes with Maurice Cullen, the promising student earned herself a two year scholarship at the Art Association of Montréal (where she studied under William Brymner). She trained internationally, at the Cercle Internationale des Beaux-Arts (Paris), and at the Art Students League in New York state, where she additionally took private classed from John Fabian Carlson.

Rita Mount travelled extensively seeking inspiration – driving west to Banff in 1934, then to Victoria and Wyoming in 1937. She visited Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and the Gaspe region several times. Rita Mount gained notoriety for her marine paintings, which were the subject of a solo exhibition at the Art Association of Montreal in 1934. She exhibited regularly with the Association, the Royal Canadian Academy, the Musee National des Beaux-arts du Quebec, and commercially, on a national and international level.

Notes:

signed lower right; titled on the gallery label verso
Provenance: Masters Gallery, Calgary AB

Notes:

signed lower left; signed, titled & dated on the artist’s certificate verso
Provenance: Masters Gallery, Calgary AB

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signed lower left; signed & titled on the stretcher verso

Notes:

signed & dated lower left; signed, titled & dated verso

Notes:

signed & dated lower left; titled verso
Provenance: Gainsborough Galleries, Calgary AB