Frank (Franz) Hans Johnston 1888 - 1949

Roberts Gallery, Toronto

Private Collection, Toronto

Roger Burford Mason, A Grand Eye For Glory, The Life of Franz Johnston, Toronto, 1998, p. 79

This painting has been viewed under UV and is in pristine condition.
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Johnston had both courage and the facility to tackle unlikely or difficult subjects with verve and surprising ease. In this case, he has rendered an all-green and almost impossible scene into an articulate and legible little masterpiece. Just a year away from becoming, briefly, one of the Group of Seven, Johnston was probably near, if not at, the peak of his most creative period. In the latter part of his career, his production remained exceptionally high but he turned to easily saleable, and easy to paint, works that tended to be decorative rather than creative.

The critic Augustus Bridle wrote lavishly about Johnston's abilities His woodland scenes are dark and exuberant. Evergreens are luxurious. Cedars - nobody ever painted these beauties more delicately.