Lawren Stewart Harris 1885 - 1970

Harris' first trip to the Rocky Mountains was in 1924. He and A.Y. Jackson hiked into British Columbia's Mount Robson Provincial Park. Harris was captivated by the dramatic topography of the Rockies and subsequently visited the region every summer until 1928 exploring as much of its territory as he could - Maligne Lake, the Tonquin Valley, the Colin Range, and the Athabasca Valley which is the source of this work.

His response to the mountains was highly emotional and it evolved into something that was profoundly contemplative and spiritual. Indeed, the mountains became a metaphor for his theosophical beliefs, and enabled him to combine the natural and spiritual worlds.

As Harris' relationship with the mountains deepened he abandoned the painterly style of his Algoma years and eliminated all traces of excess detail and riotous colour. Instead, as he has shown here, he created a work where everything is simplified in terms of form and composition. This panel is extraordinary in its monumental stillness; the mountains become sculptural against the luminous sky.  And while the composition is much sparer, so too is his restricted colour palette of intense blue/turquoise and greens set against pure whites and greys. The smooth fluid brushstrokes that he employs only add to the feeling of tranquility that Harris experienced during his heady and inspiring journeys through the Rockies.