Morris Louis – Omega IV (1959-1960)

Louisiana poster with the work, Omega IV (1959-1960), by the American artist, Morris Louis (1912-1962). Morris Louis belonged to the new generation of colorfield painters who made their mark in New York after World War II. Louisiana received this work—along with several others—as a gift from Louis' widow, Marcella Louis Brenner, following an exhibition at the museum in 1975.

It is said of Morris Louis's work that he, as one of the few artists of this century, has helped to change the development of painting.

With Louis, a completely autonomous, abstract painting emerges for the first time. Like the peer Jackson Pollock, Louis was part of an experimental working group in New York, where the members dealt with the methods of automatic painting.

The 'colorfield' method characterizes a painting where color is detached from any form and occupies the canvas without restrictions. In Omega IV, Louis controls the color by letting the raw canvas stand out and removing both the center and the sense of perspective.