L. Harris

Lawren Harris, was a pioneering Canadian painter best known as a founding member of the Group of Seven, the collective that helped shape a distinctly Canadian modernist style in the early twentieth century. Born in Brantford, Ontario, on October 23, 1885, into the wealthy Massey-Harris family, Harris enjoyed a privileged upbringing that allowed him to pursue art from a young age. He studied in Berlin between 1904 and 1908, developing interests in philosophy and Theosophy, which later influenced the spiritual qualities of his work.

In 1911, Harris met J. E. H. MacDonald, and together they laid the foundation for the Group of Seven, establishing a Toronto studio for artists with the support of patron James MacCallum. Harris financed sketching trips for the group to Algoma and later to Lake Superior, where he developed his iconic style—simplified, monumental landscapes painted in jewel-like colours and austere forms. His later travels to the Rockies and the Arctic further deepened his exploration of the spiritual essence of the northern wilderness.

By the mid-1930s, Harris had embraced abstraction, seeking to convey universal spiritual truths beyond landscape. His influence on Canadian art was profound, and in 1969 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.