“Return From Church”, after Lawren Harris

This oil composition on board, signed M Otto lower right, created after Lawren Harris’s Return from Church, depicts a serene winter village scene. The composition centers around a large, pale building with clean lines and rectangular windows, characteristic of Harris’s minimalist style. The structure is framed by dark, leafless trees, their stark branches contrasting sharply against the light background.

The foreground is populated with silhouetted figures in formal winter attire moving or gathered in small groups. The color palette is a harmonious mix of soft creams, whites, and icy blues, with accents of warm red and orange from the windows, suggesting light and warmth inside the building. The bold, stylized brushwork and flattened forms echo Lawren Harris’s focus on simplicity and geometric abstraction, capturing the quiet beauty and spirituality of a winter day in a small community.

14 1/2” x 16 1/2”