My favorite piece made by Morris Louis was one of the pieces included in his unfurled series. This piece was entitled Beta Lambda and was made in 1961. This piece is 103in x 106in and was made using magna paint. One of the most important and recognizable parts of this piece is the giant white “v” in the center of the painting. This part of the canvas is completely untouched and raw. On each side of the piece there are 12 colored stripes that flow in a diagonal downward motion towards the center of the piece coming from the right side and 14 colored stripes going in the same downward motion coming from the left side. This flow of paint is what creates the “v” in the center of the canvas. Louis uses 26 different colors in this image. The way in which Louis applied the paint to this canvas gives it an extremely flat look due to the stained nature of the paint application. It looks as if the paint was already there and not applied to the canvas. The method in which Louis uses to create these pieces is also evident when you look at/analyze the piece. Louis would place the canvas with one side higher and allow gravity to move the paint in whatever way it chose. This is evident and how the paint flows from each side of the piece. The sheer size of the piece alone is also quite magnificent. Another aspect of the painting that I find truly amazing is how clean all of the lines are. There is s bleeding of the colors whatsoever near the edges which is remarkable and makes these paintings so strong and beautiful.
Beta Lambda
1961
8′ 7 3/8″ x 13′ 4 1/4″
Magna on canvas
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