Above Lake Superior 1922

Lawren Harris made this painting, Above Lake Superior, with oil on canvas. I can imagine him mixing those cool blues and browns, trying to capture the stark beauty of the Canadian landscape. The paint looks smoothly applied, not too thick, which gives the scene a kind of calm, almost spiritual feel. I like the way he’s simplified the trees; they're like these elegant, upright figures against the backdrop of the lake and hills. It makes me think about what it was like for him, out there in the cold, trying to find a way to express the vastness of nature on a small canvas. Harris was part of the Group of Seven, and you can see how they were all trying to create a uniquely Canadian style of painting. It's like they were all in conversation, pushing each other to see the landscape in new ways, not just copying what they saw but really feeling it. Painting’s like that, an exchange of ideas and feelings across time. It’s not about getting it "right," but about opening up possibilities.