LAWRENHARRIS
(1885 -
1970)
Lawren Harris was born in
Brantford, Ontario. He was rich because his family was part owner of
Massey-Harris, the farm equipment company.  Red
House and Yellow Sleigh (1919) |
When he began failing his
courses at the University of Toronto, his family thought that he could study
art, so, in 1904, he was sent to Berlin to study painting. After studying in
Berlin and slumming as a magazine illustrator for 18 months, he landed
himself in a Toronto painting studio in the spring of 1909. He painted there
for a while. His style was bold, with a dark moodiness. In 1911, Harris met
up with J.E.H MacDonald. The result of this was to bring Harris into contact
with a group of artists that had ideas that were ready to break out and take
over the national art scene.  Beaver Swamp, Algoma
(1920) |
They believed that truly meaningful expression could
only be achieved when you painted something that the viewer shared with the
artist. The best way to do this was to paint the Canadian landscape itself.
These artists and those they attracted would form the famous Group of Seven
with its Canadian style. Harris was one of the leaders of the Group. In the
fall of 1921, Harris and A.Y Jackson went on a trip to the north shore of
Lake Superior. The vast cold land filled a spiritual need he had. His 'Lake
Superior' along with other North Shore canvases show this through their
overpowering landscapes. For a time during the 1930s, Harris produced
almost no paintings because of an affair he was having with a friend's
wife.
Towards the end of his life he turned increasingly towards abstract
themes.
 Above Lake Superior
(c.1922) |
 Lake and Mountains
(1928) |
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