Frank Johnston
(1888-1949)

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Frank Johnston was a Canadian painter, best known for his involvement in the Group of Seven. Though born with the name, Francis Hans, Johnston commonly went by ‘Frank’ and later in life ‘Franz’.

Johnston was born in Toronto, where he continued to live and work for most of his life. Johnston met many of the other Group of Seven members while working as a commercial artist for the company Grip Ltd. Johnston’s colleagues organized weekend painting trips via boxcar, traversing the Canadian countryside. Johnston’s coworkers included J.E.H. Johnston, Tom Thomson, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley and Franklin Carmichael. Other Group of seven members met through Toronto’s Arts and Letters Club.

Johnston was accustomed to landscape painting before meeting the others in the Group of Seven. A lover of nature, Johnston would take trips Algonquin Park and Lake Superior. Once he became a member of the Group of Seven, Johnston almost always participated in the trips to Algoma.

Unlike the other Group of Seven painters who used oil or watercolor paints, Johnston used tempera to create vibrant and textured landscapes. Johnston’s style was therefore less post-impressionistic and more decorative.

Johnston was probably the least involved with the Group of Seven and only exhibited in their first show in 1920 at the Art Gallery of Toronto. Despite his lack of involvement in the group, he worked prolifically and held frequent solo-exhibitions.

By 1921, Johnston left Toronto for a principal position at the Winnipeg School of Art. It was not until 1924 the Johnston officially left the Group of Seven, preferring to work and exhibit independently. Over time Johnston became less fine art orientated and concentrated on making decorative pieces for department stores. Johnston’s aesthetic proved to be financially profitable, as he sold his paintings with great frequency.

During the late 1920s Johnston returned to Toronto where he taught at the Ontario College of Art. Johnston remained in Toronto until the end of his life.

Johnston’s extensive portfolio of landscape paintings, remain to be highly valuable. Johnston’s pieces are currently in museums and private collections. Do you think you own a painting by Frank Johnston? Contact us. We are the experts on Frank Johnston.