Faces

Morris Louis, Faces, 1959, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1980.5.5
Copied Morris Louis, Faces, 1959, acrylic on canvas, 911⁄4 x 136 in. (231.8 x 345.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1980.5.5

Artwork Details

Title
Faces
Artist
Date
1959
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
911⁄4 x 136 in. (231.8 x 345.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
Mediums
Mediums Description
acrylic on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1980.5.5
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1980.5.5

Artwork Description

Faces is among the paintings Louis created in the late 1950s, known as his Veils. He achieved the directional tides of sweeping color by pouring streams of acrylic paint from one end of the unprimed canvas to the other. A dark wash cloaks more brilliant hues beneath, leaving tantalizing remnants of orange, green, and blue along the top edge. The term "veil" describes not only the translucent layers of paint but the texture of the canvas support that shows through the pigment. Louis conjured spatial effects in his paintings through applied color, while at the same time undercutting the illusion of space by allowing the underlying fabric to assert itself.