Delta Lambda

1961

Delta Lambda, 1961. Morris Louis (American, 1912–1962). Acrylic on canvas; unframed: 260.4 x 449.6 cm (102 1/2 x 177 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Graham Gund 1992.365 © Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Rights Administered by Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York, All Rights Reserved. In this painting, asymmetrical streams of vibrant, painted lines border a vast plain of raw canvas. An artist finely attuned to color, Morris Louis drew his palette from intimate studies of the Post-Impressionists. Created at a time when much attention was given to the meaning and function of painting as a medium, the artist's relegation of painted lines to the edges of the canvas, and central focus on untouched canvas, was a bold statement in contemporary art. This painting is part of Morris Louis's Unfurled series, 1960–61.