Afternoon Sun, Lake Superior 1924

Editor: This is Lawren Harris’s “Afternoon Sun, Lake Superior,” painted in 1924. It’s an oil painting, and I’m immediately drawn to how still and monumental it feels. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a profound connection to the land, tinged with the complex history of Canadian identity formation. Harris, as part of the Group of Seven, aimed to create a distinctly Canadian art. But let’s think critically about whose “Canada” was being represented. Was it reflective of the Indigenous people’s deep connection to the land for millennia? Editor: So, it’s about more than just painting pretty landscapes? Curator: Exactly. The romanticism, the heroic scale – they often overshadowed the realities of colonialism and dispossession. We need to ask ourselves, whose stories are centered in these depictions of pristine wilderness, and whose are erased? Do you notice any clues in the composition that support such an argument? Editor: The lone trees in the foreground feel a bit… isolated, maybe? Is that intentional, a sign of displacement? Curator: Perhaps. And the vastness of the landscape behind them dwarfs any human presence. Harris was interested in theosophy, a spiritual movement. Considering that, how might we interpret the painting’s focus on nature’s grandeur, coupled with the emptiness in the scene? Editor: Maybe it’s about seeking spiritual connection, but inadvertently overlooking the people who were already connected to the land. Curator: Precisely. It's about confronting those uncomfortable truths. These paintings are beautiful, yes, but we must contextualize them within the broader narrative of cultural appropriation and erasure. Editor: That definitely gives me a new way to see Harris's work, a deeper appreciation and a critical perspective on its place in history. Curator: And hopefully, inspires us to seek a more inclusive representation of art and its stories.