Mount Lefroy 1930

Lawren Harris made this painting of Mount Lefroy with careful deliberation. Just imagine the artist layering the paint to conjure this stark and dramatic landscape, shifting and emerging through a slow process of observation and intuition. I can imagine Harris feeling the vastness and the weight of the mountain as he painted. The blue-grey and white palette, alongside strong geometric forms, create a sense of monumental stillness. The texture is smooth, almost like a photograph, but the way the light hits the mountain's peak—those strokes of golden yellow—give it a sublime, otherworldly quality. Harris was interested in depicting the spiritual essence of the Canadian landscape. You can see that in the way he abstracts the forms, simplifying the mountain to its essential shapes. It reminds me of other painters who are searching for clarity and essence, like Agnes Martin. Artists are always in conversation, aren't they?