Alpha 1960

Morris Louis made "Alpha," sometime before 1962, with acrylic on canvas. The raw canvas is mostly visible; it's stained and activated by rivulets of color that rush in from both sides, leaving the center blank. I imagine Louis in his studio, maybe late at night, tilting and coaxing the canvas, as the paint soaks in like dye. Did he know where those colors would lead? Probably not. The painting feels open and in progress, as though any moment more color might be added. He’s working with the material instead of against it. I like to think about the conversation between the artist and the painting as it emerged. Those diagonal stripes—some orange, some yellow, and others black and blue—are so delicate. They remind me of Helen Frankenthaler's soak-stain paintings, but also point to the Color Field movement that Louis was a part of. It’s like he's saying, "Hey, Helen, check this out," while also nodding to Rothko and Newman. Painters, we're all just talking to each other, across time.