A.J. CASSON (1898-1992)

A.J. (Alfred Joseph) Casson was one of Canada's most influential landscape painters and the youngest member of the Group of Seven. He became known for his thoughtful portrayals of southern Ontario, using his signature limited palette and simplified forms. 

Casson studied at the Ryerson School and Hamilton Technical School before continuing his artistic education through evening classes at the Ontario College of Art (OCA, now OCAD University) and Toronto Central Technical School.

In 1919, he joined the commercial art firm Rous and Mann, working under Franklin Carmichael, his future peer member of the Group of Seven.¹ Carmichael became both mentor and friend, introducing Casson to Toronto’s Arts and Letters Club, where he met the other members of the Group, and encouraged Casson to further develop his artistic skills. In 1926, Casson officially joined the Group, succeeding Frank (Franz) Johnston and helping shape the distinctly Canadian vision of landscape painting, made famous by the Group. 

While many Group of Seven artists painted remote wilderness landscapes, Casson focused on southern Ontario's numerous villages, churches and rural communities. Rather than depicting rugged wilderness, Casson's work celebrated the province's settled landscapes and life in pre-suburban Ontario. His artwork vividly recorded the wooden churches and quiet main streets against carefully composed backdrops. His attention to structural details may have been inspired by his time as a commercial artist. ²

He was instrumental in the founding of several important Canadian art organizations, co-founding the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour and Canadian Group of Painters following the dissolution of the Group of Seven. He also contributed to the Second World War Artists Program championed by Charles Comfort.³ 

Over a career spanning much of the 20th century, A.J. Casson helped define Canada's artistic and national identity, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire artists, scholars and audiences from coast to coast to coast.

Learn more about A.J. Casson

¹ Gallery Gevik, A.J. Casson Biography

² Kawartha Art Gallery, Who was A.J. Casson? A Guide to the Group of Seven’s Youngest Member.

³ Canadian Encyclopedia, A.J. Casson

Image credit: A.J. Casson (1898–1992), At Rosseau, Muskoka, 1920, oil on wood panel, 23.3 x 28.4 cm, Gift of the Artist, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1989.10