Janus 1960

Editor: We're looking at "Janus," a 1960 acrylic on canvas piece by Morris Louis, currently residing in Frankfurt's MMK. The vertical bands of layered green really dominate. What do you see in this piece beyond just… greenness? Curator: The 'greenness,' as you call it, is precisely where our analysis begins. Note how the colour is not merely applied but soaked into the canvas, a defining feature of Louis’s stain paintings. Consider how this technique affects the flatness of the picture plane. The layering creates subtle tonal variations, yet the overall effect resists traditional notions of depth and perspective. Editor: So, it’s about… the *application* of the colour, rather than what the green might represent? Curator: Precisely. Forget symbolism for a moment, and observe the formal relationships. How does the verticality of the green band interact with the expansive, untouched canvas surrounding it? What kind of tension does that relationship create? And how does this affect the viewer's experience? Editor: I see… The raw canvas almost becomes another colour, another compositional element. It stops being “background”. The bands of varying shades and edges too, though simple, they lend the painting movement and vibrancy. Curator: Exactly! It is about the orchestration of form, colour, and material. The work asks us to appreciate painting as an event, not a representation. What do you make of that now? Editor: That changes everything. I was too focused on potential hidden meanings. The beauty really lies in the simplicity, the colour, and the technique. Curator: And that understanding, I believe, reveals the very essence of Louis's artistic project.