| Frank
Johnston was the only member of the Group who did not
retain his membership throughout the years The Group
existed.
This
Toronto born artist also worked briefly for Grip Ltd.
Johnston started at the Grip in 1908, and then moved on
to work for Rous and Mann Printing House.
In
1910, he went to the United States. Johnston first
studied art in Philadelphia and then did commercial work
in New York. Before and after his return to Canada,
Johnston was an eager participant in Group activities. A
member of the Arts and Letters Club, he was a friend of
both MacDonald and Harris. He went on all the Algoma
trips except the last.
A
man of staggering energy and enthusiasm, he also had an
amazing rate of production. In the 1919 Algoma show, he
contributed sixty works - more than any other artist. A
few months later, he extended his independence even
more, having a large one-man show of 200 paintings at
the T. Eaton Company Galleries.
In
the fall of 1921, Johnston left Toronto to accept the
position as principal of the School of Art in Winnipeg.
There he held the largest show ever seen in that city.
He had been slowly moving away from the Group movement,
and now the break was complete. In 1924, he announced
his official resignation, claiming that he had no
disagreement with the Group, only that he wanted to go
his own way with regards to exhibitions.
This was certainly in
keeping with the character of this energetic, ambitious
and strong willed man. When Johnston left the Group, he
turned more to working for department store art
galleries. Unfortunately, his work lost its earlier
fresh vitality and became more decorative. He was a
superb craftsman, but was mainly concerned with
decorative effects, which he consciously sought out. |
