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Morris Louis
Born 1912 in Baltimore, MD
Died 1962 in Washington, DC
Beth Rash, 1958–59
acrylic resin on canvas
98 1/2 x 141 3/4 inches
Collection of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum purchase made possible by gifts from Bebe and Crosby Kemper
and the Enid and Crosby Kemper Foundation and through the Enid and Crosby Kemper and William T. Kemper Acquisition Fund
2002.30
enlarge image return to collection directory

Influenced by Helen Frankenthaler's staining techniques, Louis was a key figure in the Color Field painting movement. He developed his mature style in the 1950s, working in relative isolation, and examined the pure aesthetic qualities of color until his untimely death in 1962 at age 49. By staining raw, unprimed canvas with diluted acrylic resin, he presented flowing lines and planes of color with remarkable depth and luminosity. In this monumental masterwork, veils of reds, yellows, purples, and other bold colors shimmer behind a thin scrim of black.