Lot 64
FRANK HANS JOHNSTON, O.S.A., A.R.C.A.
Additional Images
Provenance:
Private Collection, Maple, ON
Literature:
Roger Burford Mason, A Grand Eye for Glory: A Life of Franz Johnston, Dundurn Press, Toronto, 1998, page 13.
Note:
In Old Mill, Que., Franz Johnston (1889-1949) offers fresh perspective on what was at the time a well documented motif, the Canadian lumber mill. Johnston expertly contrasts purples, pinks, yellows and dark greens. The light, swirling sky above emphasizes the vastness of the Canadian landscape, while the subtle and finely painted saplings in the foreground suggest the continual cycle of growth, decay and rebirth; themes that would have resonated with a Canadian public, having to come to terms with the aftermath of the Second World War.