Untitled 

Curator: Here we have an untitled piece by Morris Louis, part of his series exploring colour field painting and abstraction, particularly through the technique of staining. What strikes you immediately? Editor: The relative emptiness, actually. The unprimed canvas. And these vertical lines – rivulets, almost – create such a distinct sense of gravity and flow, pooling slightly at the top. The means by which the stain is applied across a raw canvas feels very central here. Curator: Precisely. Louis was fascinated with the process of applying thinned acrylic paint directly onto unsized and unprimed canvas, which allowed the colors to merge and become part of the material itself. Consider how this method inherently resists traditional notions of artistic mastery. It feels quite radical, doesn’t it? This rejection of the artist's "touch," so celebrated by his predecessors, pushes the boundaries of Modernism. Editor: It’s true; the 'all-over' effect denies hierarchy. Thinking about the material consequences, staining also bypasses any tactility on the canvas. But the process is still critical. What determined the width of those bands, or their direction? Was this simply tilted and left? It points us to the actions in the studio. Curator: Certainly, but consider also how the forms resemble spectral figures standing against a stark background, conjuring discussions around presence, absence, and perhaps even the erasure of identity that’s central to many conversations within contemporary theory. We're not merely examining abstract forms, but potentially reflections on personhood. Editor: That tension between the planned and unplanned intrigues me the most. And what these staining techniques meant within postwar industrial boom and innovative methods for large-scale paint production and handling is vital for my reading of the work. How were these stains deployed to disrupt established ways of thinking and doing? Curator: Indeed, that is one angle to take into account. Louis really encourages that sort of thinking; a deeper probing of artistic intentions and consequences. Editor: Absolutely. Seeing these different possibilities highlights why looking is also a material process in and of itself!