Abstract No. 7 1939

Curator: Lawren Harris painted this artwork, entitled "Abstract No. 7," in 1939, deploying acrylic paint. It immediately strikes me as an exercise in geometric form. What do you think? Editor: It's so cool, almost melancholic, like a blueprint for a utopian cityscape that was never quite built. I feel like I’m peering into a spectral city in the clouds. Curator: Considering its creation period, that resonance isn't accidental. Harris was deeply engaged with theosophy and the search for spiritual meaning within modern life. It speaks to his interest in using geometric forms to represent transcendental ideas. Look at the layering, the implied depth crafted through intersecting planes. Editor: I see it, those shapes stacked on top of each other create such tension! And the restrained palette— those blues and muted browns— somehow amplifies this sense of longing. You know, it makes me wonder about the labour involved. The patience to lay down those clean lines by hand... I find that impressive! Curator: Precisely. Think about the physical process itself, applying paint to canvas, how that act of production becomes almost meditative, mirroring the artist's pursuit of inner peace. And this echoes debates about abstraction, the removal of obvious manual labour traces compared to, say, impressionism. What labor remains? Harris asks us. Editor: It almost feels like the painting has another, unseen layer. I’m imagining this canvas with the subtle touch and precise process revealing its hidden dimension. Like an x-ray into the artist’s soul at the time. A moment frozen in pigment! Curator: In essence, by analyzing the material conditions and the formal choices that Lawren Harris made, "Abstract No. 7" is far more than pure formalism. It invites speculation regarding its socio-cultural underpinnings. Editor: Agreed. I started off lost in clouds, but thinking about your points grounds this abstract piece within something tangible, yet keeps my imagination spinning. What a trip!