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46 ALFRED JOSEPH CASSON, O.S.A., P.R.C.A. THE FARMHOUSE, 1978 oil on board signed; also signed, titled and dated “Sept. 1978” on the reverse 12 ins x 15 ins; 30.5 cms x 38.1 cms $18,000–22,000
Provenance: Roberts Gallery Limited, Toronto Private Collection, Ontario Note: In this later work, Casson returned to his favourite theme of the rural Ontario scene. He once said that his was an “Ontario quest.” As in Lot 64 from 1946, the man-made structures in this painting are literally surrounded by nature. The white house is thrown into relief by a backdrop of dark trees and distant hills, and Casson has typically balanced the composition with the patterned cloud formations in the upper half of the picture. In contrast to the earlier work, however, the trees and ground cover have been rendered in a more painterly manner, rather than through the use of clearly outlined forms. The Farmhouse was painted in 1978, the year in which Casson became an Officer of the Order of Canada and a retrospective of his work was organized by the Art Gallery of Windsor. Both occasions recognized his outstanding talent and contribution to Canadian culture.
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