Number 1 - Morris Louis

A striking example of Color Field painting by Morris Louis, featuring fluid applications of Magna paint on an unprimed canvas.

Number 1 is a representative work from the final period of Morris Louis, an American painter associated with the Washington Color School. Louis is known for his technical experimentation with synthetic resin paints, specifically Magna, which allowed for a distinct interaction with the unprimed canvas. This work displays the artist's method of applying pigment to allow for absorption and staining, rather than traditional impasto layering.

The composition is defined by a central, dominant grey mass that anchors the visual field. Surrounding this core are energetic splatters and washes of primary and secondary colours, including yellow, green, red, and blue. The application of paint varies from thin, translucent washes to more opaque, textured marks. By using unprimed canvas, Louis ensured that the paint became part of the fabric itself, removing the physical barrier between the pigment and the support.

This approach to painting prioritised the flatness of the picture plane. The lack of traditional perspective or representational subject matter forces the viewer to engage with the physical properties of the paint and the raw surface of the canvas. The work avoids the gestural brushwork typical of earlier Abstract Expressionists, opting instead for a controlled yet fluid application. The resulting image is one of spatial ambiguity, where the colours appear to float or sink into the weave of the material. This piece reflects the artist's focus on the optical experience of colour and the material reality of the medium, stripped of narrative or symbolic intent. It remains a clear example of the transition toward the minimalist concerns that would dominate later American painting.