Before the Storm (c. 1920) depicts the drama of an approaching storm over a rural Canadian landscape. The sky is dramatic and turbulent, its brushstrokes coursing above haystacks that, on closer inspection, reveal a bold palette of rainbow hues. Swirling clouds convey a sense of power, stretching across fields, distant trees, and mountains, immersing the viewer in the scene while evoking life in early 20th-century Canada.

John William Beatty (1869–1941) received his artistic training at the Ontario School of Art under Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith and continued his studies at the Académie Julian in Paris. His experience abroad, combined with close ties to Canadian peers, shaped both his artistic vision and his approach as a teacher, guiding the next generation of painters such as Doris McCarthy, Yvonne McKague Housser, and Carl Schaefer.

Signed in the lower right, this oil on canvas board measures 10 x 12 inches.