House, Toronto

Private Collection, Ontario

Jeremy Adamson, “Urban Scenes and Wilderness Landscapes, 1906-1930”,Toronto, 1978, pages 25 and 96-99

Beginning with realistic studies in charcoal of Toronto and the European cities Harris visited while travelling, Harris developed his urban landscape genre capturing numerous socio-economic classes of dwellings from working-class shacks to Rosedale residences. “House, Toronto“ embodies the artist’s fascination with light's effect on colour and his experimentation of colour palettes. Standing out from the muted blue shadows, the bright orange facade and vibrant yellow trim on the front of the house exemplify Harris' exploration of colour not traditionally witnessed in earlier palettes of Canadian painting. On the neighbouring house, light reflects brightly off of its white exterior, emphasizing the bright day in which Harris sketched these Toronto houses. Fluid and loose brushstrokes in the sky and clouds are contrasted by the more linear strokes on the central home, complementing and delineating the architectural details of the house. As no figures are present, the scene stands as a portrait of a house and neighbourhood of Toronto. For Harris, it was not merely an exercise in depicting what he saw, but incorporating what he conceived should be reality. In this respect, the artist captures the the feeling of the home and leaves a token of Toronto's past, a glimpse into the urban history and development of the city.