Lawren Harris: From Landscape into Abstraction 

The 400,000 summer visitors to Stratford know what they want. They want the Group of Seven. Gallery Stratford decided to give them just that. 

I chose Lawren Harris, because he alone moved forward with the art movements around him. The selection of paintings in Lawren Harris: From Landscape into Abstraction made visible Harris’s progression from his iconic landscapes to the lesser-known, abstract paintings.

The works from the 1920s to the 1960s, revealed the dramatic shift in Canadian painting of the 20th century.

Harris’s landscapes are so stylized that it is a short jump toward abstraction. The painting Lake Superior was included specifically because it was a gift to the AGO from the Strudley family of Stratford.

The Strudleys were well-known designers of early Canadian modern furniture and serious art collectors. It was significant to bring this work, which hung on the wall in their modernist home, back to Stratford.  

Part of the requirement of the loan of these valuable works was the provision of constant supervision within the gallery. Gallery Stratford organized an outreach campaign to members and the general public to rally support to “sit with Lawren Harris.”

More than 100 volunteers sat with these works for three-hour shifts every day for three months. The same group of people continue to volunteer with Gallery Stratford on a regular basis.

Lawren Harris: From Landscape into Abstraction catapulted the gallery into the hearts of the community and visitors alike.  

Jennifer Rudder
Executive Director
Gallery Stratford

Photo: Gallery Stratford in summer. (Photo: Caryn Scott)