Gamma Lambda
Artist
Morris Louis
(American, 1912 - 1962)
CultureAmerican
Date1960
MediumAcrylic on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 103 1/4 x 154 1/2 in. (262.3 x 392.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number77.1240
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThis is an acrylic painting on canvas. Channels of color flow downward from the left and right edges of the canvas, leaving the center of the painting open and empty. The top stripe is black, the second dark green the third cobalt blue and the bottom lavender, and the colors do not meet in the center; on the left, the left and green stripe converge toward the bottom.Label TextMorris Louis American, 1912–1962 Gamma Lambda, 1960 Acrylic on canvas Rivulets of black, green, blue, and mauve paint skirt this vast stretch of white canvas. Morris Louis created the painting by leaning a large, unprimed canvas against a wall and pouring diluted paint onto the surface. Rather than using a brush to manipulate the paint, he tilted and pleated the canvas to direct the flow, allowing the paint to seep into the raw canvas. The result is a lyrical composition that focuses on the purity of the artist’s materials and expresses a visual approach to motion. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 77.1240 ProvenanceAndre Emmerich Gallery, New York, 1960; Waddington Galleries, London; Alistair McAlpine, London; Waddington Galleries II, London, 1970; Galerie Marie-Louise Jeanneret, Geneva, Switzerland; Waddington Galleries, London; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.to the Chrysler Museum, 1977. Exhibition History"Morris Louis: Unfurled Paintings," Waddington Galleries II, London, May 13 - June 6, 1970. (Exh. cat. not paged) "Remix Redux: A Fresh Mix For Our Modern And Contemporary Galleries," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, August 15 - December 30, 2012.Published ReferencesKatherine Klapper, _Morris Louis: Major Themes & Variations_, 1-5. * Not dated, unpublished. Waddington Galleries II, _Morris Louis: Unfurled paintings_, exh. cat., The Waddington Galleries II, London, England, 1970, not paged. Thomas W. Styron, "Major Contemporary Works Acquired," _Chrysler Museum Bulletin_ 6, no. 13 (January 1978): cover. Mahonri Sharp Young, "Primitive to Pop," _Apollo_ 107 (April 1978): 51. _The Chrysler Museum: Selections from the Permanent Collection, Norfolk, Virginia_, (Norfolk: Chrysler Museum, 1982), 108. ISBN: 0-940744-37-6 Diane Upright, _Morris Louis: The Complete Paintings_ (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1985), 165, 220, 261, no. 346. ISBN: 0810912805 Jefferson C. Harrison, _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_ (Norfolk: The Chrysler Museum, 1991), 192-193, plate 146. ISBN: 0-940744-59-7, 0-940744-62-7 Brady Dyer, "Permanent Collection Highlights: Young Expands on Louis," _The Chrysler_ (Nov./Dec. 1999): 4. Martha N. Hagood and Jefferson C. Harrison, _American Art at the Chrysler Museum: Selected Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings_ (Norfolk, Va.: Chrysler Museum of Art, 2005), 224-225, no. 138. ISBN: 0-940744-71-6 Jeff Harrison, _Collecting with Vision: Treasures From the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (London: D. Giles Ltd., 2007), 78, fig. 90. ISBN: 978-0-940744-72-1
