Number 2-07 - Morris Louis

A fine art print of Number 2-07 by Morris Louis, featuring his signature vertical stripes of saturated colour on an unprimed canvas.

Morris Louis produced Number 2-07 during the final year of his life. This work belongs to his Stripe series, a collection of paintings defined by vertical bands of colour that descend from the top edge of the canvas. Louis utilised Magna, an early acrylic resin paint, which allowed for a thin, fluid application that soaked directly into the unprimed fabric.

The composition relies on the interaction between the raw canvas and the pigment. By tilting the canvas, Louis controlled the flow of the paint, creating precise, vertical columns. The absence of traditional brushwork removes the artist's hand from the surface, allowing the colour to exist as a physical presence rather than a representation of an object. The bands of colour are arranged in a sequence that creates a sense of rhythm across the white space of the background.

This approach to painting shifted the focus toward the flatness of the picture plane. Louis avoided the gestural marks common in earlier abstract work, opting instead for a controlled, systematic application. The result is a work that emphasises the properties of the medium itself. The verticality of the stripes creates a sense of movement, yet the composition remains static and contained within the boundaries of the frame. The interaction between the saturated pigments and the negative space of the canvas creates a balance that is characteristic of his later period. This print captures the precise colour transitions and the fluid nature of the original application, maintaining the clarity of the vertical forms.