Born into a prominent Brantford family, Lawren Harris began to paint as a child. At the University of Toronto, a professor noticed he sketched during lectures and advised he be sent to Europe to study art. While in Germany (1904-1907), Harris was influenced by urban realism, landscape regionalism, and theosophy, a transcendental, mystical school of thought. In 1920 he helped found the Group of Seven, an association of landscape artists dedicated to creating a distinctly Canadian form of art. Harris saw a spiritual presence in natural forms and painted in an increasingly stylized manner until, in the 1930s, he became an abstract artist. Harris landscapes such as "North Shore, Lake Superior," and "Icebergs, Davis Strait" remain celebrated Canadian images.

Location

At Glenhyrst Art Gallery, Brantford

Themes

• Arts and culture
• People