On the Cover.

On the Cover A. J. Casson (1898A.J. Casson ( -1992)), known as "Cass," moved to Toronto after completing high school nearby.While taking art classes at night, he began working at a design firm in 1920, assisting Franklin Carmichael (see Fowler, 2004), a founding member of the "Group of Seven," which was just then forming.From 1913 to 1919, interrupted (and influenced) by the Great War, a number of artists in the Toronto area, most of whom worked in a few commercial design establishments, gathered regularly to paint together on weekend excursions to northern parts of Ontario.There was an "early desire among several artists to break away from European traditions when painting Canadian scenes" (Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, 1995, p. 23).In 1920, a number of them created an art exhibit, calling themselves for that purpose "The Group of Seven."Art exhibits were held regularly between 1920 and 1933, although the specific seven designated members changed over time.A few female artists were invited to participate on occasion, but none ever became a member of the Group.The quintessential Group of Seven paintings show rugged, isolated landscapes of Northern rocks, water, and windswept trees.Turn-of-the-century decorative styles, informed by graphic elements, often provide the starting point for heavily textured, at times fairly abstract, design.A bit younger and newer to art than the others, Casson accompanied Group members on various weekend painting trips.He also joined Toronto's Arts and Letters Club, the social gathering place for the Group's members.In 1926, he was invited by Carmichael to become a member of the Group: "[Carmichael] greatly influenced Cass's perception of art as an integral part of life whether in the form of weekend sketching, where they could be at one with the Ontario landscape, or the full concentration required to meet the objectives of commercial design during the working week" (Herriott, 1993, p. 33).As with many of the others of the Group, although Casson became increasingly well-known, few of his paintings sold, and he continued to work in a commercial art firm and to be a "Sunday painter" until retiring at age 60 to devote himself full-time to painting.Ultimately, Casson became the grand old man of the Group of Seven, outliving all the others and the recipient of considerable recognition and awards.Toronto is a city of distinctive neighborhoods; the Ward of this painting's title was a pocket of early-20thcentury immigrant influx, Toronto's most notorious slum.The single-story workers' cottages, closely jammed together, offered initial shelter for the city's poorest members.Ultimately, the entire area was razed and currently is the site of major metropolitan hospitals and multistory commercial establishments.

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