Fresh off a successful art exhibition curated by comedian Steve Martin, Canadian painter Lawren Harris鈥檚 popularity has hit an all-time high, nearly four decades after his death.
Earlier this year, White Pine Pictures, an independent film company based out of Toronto, released Where the Universe Sings: The Spiritual Journey of Lawren Harris.
Harris is best known for founding the Group of Seven鈥攁 famous group of Canadian landscape painters鈥攁nd for his paintings of the Canadian Rockies, making it fitting that a chunk of the movie was filmed in Jasper National Park.
鈥淗arris and those painters like him have remained very popular and people are always interested in them鈥攚e had been planning to do a movie about Harris, but when we heard Steve Martin was going to be curating a show with Harris鈥� work we jumped on the opportunity,鈥� said Nancy Lang, the film鈥檚 director.
鈥淲hen you have a name like Steve Martin attached to a project then it tends to attract a lot of attention.鈥�
Lang and her crew spent five days in the park in September 2015, shooting throughout the Maligne Lake area.
The film was released in June and will have its official Jasper screening Oct. 8 at the Chaba Theatre, starting at 3:45 p.m.
Also in attendance at the screening will be Calgary-based author Lisa Christensen. According to Lang, Christensen鈥檚 book A Hiker鈥檚 Guide to the Rocky Mountain Art of Lawren Harris served as a primary resource for the film.
Just before the screening, Christensen will be at Habitat for the Arts at 2 p.m., to discuss her book and Harris鈥� work.
鈥淲e were able to go to places that Harris was actually painting. It was amazing,鈥� Lang said. 鈥淥ne of the things that was really interesting about Harris was even though he was from Ontario and spent a lot of time in the United States, he never forgot about the mountains.鈥�
The film has widely been viewed as one of the most comprehensive films on Harris to date. It features more than 130 of his paintings, dozens of previously un-seen photographs and 8mm family films, plus works by those who influenced him, including Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, Kandinsky, Emily Carr and Georgia O鈥橩eeffe.
In addition to rare archival footage鈥攕ome of which was shot by Harris himself, the film is told through interviews with the top Harris experts including actor Steve Martin, the Art Gallery of Ontario鈥檚 Andrew Hunter and Vancouver Art Gallery鈥檚 Ian Thom鈥攋ust to name a few.
Aside from the local scenery, some of Jasper鈥檚 residents also played a part on and off the screen.
鈥淚 like when people come to Jasper to make films because it sort of gives me a chance to play host and show them some of the spots they wouldn鈥檛 think of going or even knew existed,鈥� said Jasperite Dave Baker, who played Group of Seven painter A.Y. Jackson in the film. 聽鈥淚t鈥檚 also a chance to put Jasper on the radar. I know sometimes we seem to think we live in the shadow of Banff, but we are just as beautiful and as wondrous so it鈥檚 nice to highlight that on the big screen.鈥�
Lang said the film also wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without the help of other locals like Dale Fullerton, who owns the Jasper Riding Stables, Pat Crowley of Maligne Tours and park warden Mike Westbrook.
鈥淢ike provided and captained his boat for an entire day鈥攕tarting well before dawn. He ferried all the crew and gave us a unique opportunity to film on that lake. We are so grateful to him,鈥� Lang said. 鈥淲e relied on many from the area who served as guides, hosts, cast and crew.
鈥淲e really couldn鈥檛 have pulled it off without the people of Jasper.鈥�
Kayla Byrne
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