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Lot Essay
Hesperides from 1959-1960 is a triumphant proclamation of Morris Louis’s commitment to his artistic practice. This monumental canvas is part of his Veil series, characterized by large overlapping swaths of paint in varying colors. The present work ripples with light, and the viewer’s shifting gaze reveals new layers of semi-translucent color. Louis had an intense passion for painting and honed his craft daily, his dedication to the process is clearly seen through the sublime effects of texture he achieved.
The composition seems deceptively simple at first glance—a monumental tower of red pigment. Upon closer look, however, the viewer sees yellow, orange, and burgundy, all without a trace of the artist’s hand. Much of the texture and unique color layering in the present work owes itself to Louis’s medium of choice; Magna was a type of acrylic resin developed in the 1940s by paint manufacturer and friend of the artist Leonard Bocour. Louis became entranced by the medium and devoted his career to discovering its limits. Another source of inspiration for Louis’s techniques was fellow abstract artist Helen Frankenthaler. On a visit to New York in 1953, Louis visited Frankenthaler’s studio and saw some of her work. The vast canvas Mountain and Sea, specifically, impacted Louis profoundly. After this trip, he began experimenting with staining raw canvas with diluted paint.
Hesperides takes painting to its limits of possibility. Secluded in his tiny dining room seven days a week, Louis manipulated the medium to ethereal extremes. Saturated color and feather-light texture make the late Veil paintings so magnificent. Renowned art dealer and author Andre Emmerich said of the series: “The veils are, of course, totally romantic. God in a landscape. They are abstract versions of those grand 19th century landscapes” (quoted in R. Pierce, Morris Louis: the Life and Art of One of America’s Greatest Twentieth Century Abstract Artists, Robert Pierce Productions, Inc., 2002). Even the title evokes mythic grandeur. In Greek mythology, the Hesperides are nymphs of the evening and the golden light of sunset. The present work seems to suggest the glowing heat of the setting sun, light flickering as it fades beneath the horizon.
The artist spent his career in Washington, D.C., where he painted daily and taught art at the Washington Workshop Center. Through the Workshop, Louis met fellow artist Kenneth Noland, with whom he would later establish the Washington Color School. This movement focused on the emotional capabilities of color and emphasized pure abstraction. Noland would introduce Louis to Clement Greenberg, the venerated essayist and art historian. This connection would catapult Louis into the New York art scene, slowly leading to more exhibitions, but unfortunately, he did not live to see his great success. The present work alone has featured in several important exhibitions in major cities, including Milan, Amsterdam, London, and New York.
Louis was an innovator. Through dedication to his art, he explored the limits of color and the two- dimensional plane. Hesperides is a prime example of one of his most iconic series. It is one puzzle piece in an oeuvre which gained him critical acclaim and a distinct place in the canon of Western art history. His dynamic work has left a legacy that extends far beyond his life.
The composition seems deceptively simple at first glance—a monumental tower of red pigment. Upon closer look, however, the viewer sees yellow, orange, and burgundy, all without a trace of the artist’s hand. Much of the texture and unique color layering in the present work owes itself to Louis’s medium of choice; Magna was a type of acrylic resin developed in the 1940s by paint manufacturer and friend of the artist Leonard Bocour. Louis became entranced by the medium and devoted his career to discovering its limits. Another source of inspiration for Louis’s techniques was fellow abstract artist Helen Frankenthaler. On a visit to New York in 1953, Louis visited Frankenthaler’s studio and saw some of her work. The vast canvas Mountain and Sea, specifically, impacted Louis profoundly. After this trip, he began experimenting with staining raw canvas with diluted paint.
Hesperides takes painting to its limits of possibility. Secluded in his tiny dining room seven days a week, Louis manipulated the medium to ethereal extremes. Saturated color and feather-light texture make the late Veil paintings so magnificent. Renowned art dealer and author Andre Emmerich said of the series: “The veils are, of course, totally romantic. God in a landscape. They are abstract versions of those grand 19th century landscapes” (quoted in R. Pierce, Morris Louis: the Life and Art of One of America’s Greatest Twentieth Century Abstract Artists, Robert Pierce Productions, Inc., 2002). Even the title evokes mythic grandeur. In Greek mythology, the Hesperides are nymphs of the evening and the golden light of sunset. The present work seems to suggest the glowing heat of the setting sun, light flickering as it fades beneath the horizon.
The artist spent his career in Washington, D.C., where he painted daily and taught art at the Washington Workshop Center. Through the Workshop, Louis met fellow artist Kenneth Noland, with whom he would later establish the Washington Color School. This movement focused on the emotional capabilities of color and emphasized pure abstraction. Noland would introduce Louis to Clement Greenberg, the venerated essayist and art historian. This connection would catapult Louis into the New York art scene, slowly leading to more exhibitions, but unfortunately, he did not live to see his great success. The present work alone has featured in several important exhibitions in major cities, including Milan, Amsterdam, London, and New York.
Louis was an innovator. Through dedication to his art, he explored the limits of color and the two- dimensional plane. Hesperides is a prime example of one of his most iconic series. It is one puzzle piece in an oeuvre which gained him critical acclaim and a distinct place in the canon of Western art history. His dynamic work has left a legacy that extends far beyond his life.