Morris Louis
Early Life and Education
Morris Louis Bernstein was born on November 28, 1912, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the third of four sons in a Russian-Jewish immigrant family. His interest in art was evident from an early age, and he began his formal artistic education at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1929, where he studied until 1933.
Career
In 1935, Louis moved to New York, where he was exposed to the works of the Abstract Expressionists, a group of artists who would greatly influence his later work. He returned to Baltimore in 1940 and began teaching at the Maryland Institute College of Art. During this time, he changed his surname from Bernstein to Louis, which he felt had a more "artistic" sound.
In the 1950s, Louis developed a unique painting technique that involved pouring or staining thin, transparent layers of acrylic paint onto unprimed canvas. This technique, known as the "Veil" technique, allowed the paint to soak into the fabric, creating a luminous, glowing effect. Louis's Veil paintings are considered some of the most significant contributions to the Color Field movement, a style of abstract painting that emerged in New York in the 1940s and 1950s.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Louis created a series of paintings known as the "Unfurled" series. These works, characterized by rivulets of color that seem to cascade down the canvas, represent a departure from the Veil paintings. The Unfurled paintings are considered some of Louis's most innovative and influential works.
Louis's work was recognized by the art world during his lifetime, but his career was cut short by his untimely death from lung cancer in 1962. Despite his relatively short career, Louis's influence on the development of abstract painting in the 20th century is significant.
Legacy
Today, Morris Louis's work is held in the collections of major museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His work continues to be studied and admired by art historians, critics, and collectors.