Faces 1959

Morris Louis made this painting called "Faces," with acrylic on canvas, by pouring and staining. Can you imagine that process? I’m thinking about how the artist must have moved, tilted, and manipulated the canvas. It is almost as if the painting made itself, guided by Louis. The vertical veils of color, mostly browns and greens with hints of orange, blue, and red, create such a moody atmosphere. They cascade down the canvas, pooling at the bottom like rain on a window. The color is really diluted, and soaks right into the fabric, like dye. You can still see the weave. I wonder if he felt like he was collaborating with the material somehow? That central cascade of deep brown, it’s so evocative. It reminds me of Helen Frankenthaler's soak-stain paintings, and the way that she was in conversation with Jackson Pollock's all-over compositions. There's a sense of experimentation and risk-taking, a willingness to let the medium dictate the outcome. It's this kind of exchange that keeps painting alive!