Lawren Harris
Saturday, 23 May 2009
Lawren Harris is another Canadian legend in the art world. Part of the Group of Seven, he pioneered a distinctly Canadian painting style in the early twentieth century. He reduced already stark Canadian Arctic landscapes into semi-abstract forms and simple shapes, and stopped signing and dating his work in the 1920’s so the viewer will not be distracted by the autograph.
“Harris was so passionate about the North Shore and fascinated by the theosophical concept of nature, he returned annually for the next seven years. There he developed the style he is best known for. Harris’s paintings in the early 1920s were characterized by rich, decorative colours that were applied thick, in painterly impasto. He painted landscapes around Toronto, Georgian Bay and Algoma. His first trip to the Rockies in 1924 soon became annual, too, for the next three years. In 1930, Harris’s landscape paintings became simplified as he sailed with A.Y. Jackson aboard a supply ship.” (Lawren Harris)