Twined Columns II 1960

Morris Louis made this painting of thin veils of color on unprimed canvas, and you can almost feel him tilting the canvas, coaxing those colors down the surface. I love the way the paint sinks right into the fabric of the canvas. It’s like the colors are breathing, becoming one with the weave. The cool blues and greens on the left balance the warmer yellows, oranges, and reds on the right, with the empty space in the center creating a kind of stage. I can imagine him thinking about Helen Frankenthaler and the way she stained her canvases, but pushing it further, making the colors even more translucent and ethereal. It’s like he's saying, "Look, painting can be about pure color, pure light," and I find that incredibly inspiring, this idea of painting as a way to access something beyond the visible world. It reminds me that painting isn't just about representation, but about feeling, about being present in the moment, and it's a wonderful thing.