Johnstone is considered to be one of the more enigmatic of the Canadian Impressionist painters. With no contemporary texts about his life, myths and speculations have filled that void.Johnstone was noted by institutional collectors and as a sign of support, the
National Gallery of Canada bought six of his canvases in his lifetime. Moreover, he received critical acclaim. In 1925, art critic,
Newton MacTavish, suggested he was among the very fine painters of the day in his book,
The Fine Arts in Canada. He was a member of the
Beaver Hall Group which had its first exhibition in 1921, of the Pen and Pencil Club of Montreal and of the Arts Club of Montreal. In 1921, he inherited from his mother a pre-Confederation townhouse at 781 University Street (now 3533) and proceeded to transform the upper floor to a six metre high studio where he painted and lived with friends until his departure for Cuba. To supplement his income Johnstone taught at the
Conseil des arts et manufactures, at the
Monument-National from 1918 to 1928 and various art schools. In 1928, he was expelled from the Arts Club of Montreal. In 1930, he moved to Cuba, where he died destitute six weeks later in
Havana. The cause of his death is described both as "after a brief illness" and as the result of a "duel over a woman". == Style and work ==