Baffin Island 1931

Lawren Harris painted Baffin Island with oil on canvas, and what strikes me first is how he’s simplified the landscape. The scene is distilled into these clean, geometric forms, an almost architectural approach to mountains and sky. Up close, you can see how the paint is applied in smooth, deliberate strokes. The colors are muted, yet luminous, giving the impression of a serene, almost otherworldly space. The dark lines, especially on the right side, give the painting a graphic quality, reminding me of a woodcut or a modernist poster. It’s these hard lines that give the painting structure, and it’s what makes the painting come alive. Harris's work here reminds me a bit of some of the early abstract painters like Hilma af Klint, in the way he searches for a deeper, spiritual connection to the landscape. It’s like he’s trying to capture the essence of a place, not just its appearance.