Abstract Painting #98 1938

Curator: Looking at "Abstract Painting #98" crafted in 1938 by Lawren Harris, I’m immediately struck by its enigmatic nature. Editor: There’s such stillness to it, almost a spiritual silence. It reminds me of a simplified landscape seen through the lens of memory. Curator: It's as if he's distilling the essence of the Canadian landscape—the mountains, the light—into pure geometric form. This idea of refining reality down to the elemental is quintessential Harris. Editor: The diamond shape feels potent. In many traditions, it represents enlightenment, a moment of pure understanding. And that floating sphere…it’s almost lunar. Curator: Precisely. Consider the colours—that restricted palette of whites, grays, creams—creates a glacial atmosphere. There’s a yearning for purity and order. Editor: Absolutely, but the underlying geometric grid gives me a slightly uneasy feeling. There’s control and the feeling the artist wants us to see in order, but from an angle we can’t obtain from earth. What could Harris be symbolizing here? Curator: That's the heart of the painting, I think. It’s a reflection on nature through a lens of spirituality, striving towards a kind of utopian vision even if that vision is tempered by restraint. Editor: It’s powerful how he managed to evoke so much with what appears to be so little, making you almost miss the natural details, the very details he omitted! I walk away pondering about the geometry of heaven and earth. Curator: The legacy of the painting rests precisely on this visual distillation, pushing boundaries, compelling to reimagine our relationship with the tangible world that's surrounding us and beyond it.