High 1959

Morris Louis made "High," a color-stained canvas, sometime before 1962. The way the colors are applied here, it's clear that artmaking is a process, one of watching what happens, not knowing for sure. The paint is thin, almost translucent, like watercolor, sinking right into the canvas. There's a sense of gravity at play, as the colours cascade down in rivulets of pigment. Look at the way the red bleeds into the white, creating a fuzzy edge. That deliberate blurring, that lack of control, makes it so interesting. It’s like Louis is setting up the conditions for something to happen, and then letting it unfold. Louis's work reminds me of Helen Frankenthaler's soak-stain paintings, although Frankenthaler often let her colours mingle and merge in a way that feels more lyrical. Like so much great art, it embraces ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own experiences and associations to the table.