Spawn 1960

Morris Louis made Spawn with acrylic on canvas, and at first it feels like a big flower. But, you know, flowers don't really look like this - or do they? The colours just bloom out from the centre, and the canvas is just soaked with paint. It's really thin, so the canvas almost acts like a sponge. There's a real sense of process here. You can almost imagine Louis staining the canvas, letting the paint run, letting the colours mix in unpredictable ways. Look at the way the greens and browns bleed together. It's not about control, it's about letting the paint do its thing. It reminds me a little of Helen Frankenthaler, another painter who was all about pouring and staining. I think, in art, it is about letting go, and trusting the process. It is about opening up possibilities rather than closing them down.