“Addition V” is an abstract artwork by Morris Louis created in 1959. It exemplifies the Color Field Painting movement, known for its expansive fields of flat, solid color that spread across large canvases to evoke emotion through the use of color alone. The artwork is executed using magna on canvas and spans a significant size of 255.3 cm by 344.2 cm, allowing the viewer to be enveloped by the vibrant hues that are a characteristic feature of Louis’s style.
Upon observing the artwork, one is immediately struck by the large fields of color that define its composition. The background appears to be a verdant green, over which sinuous forms of black and deep red cascade down the canvas. These ribbon-like streams of pigment are applied in a way that suggests fluid motion, and consequentially, there is a dynamic interplay between the colors and the blank spaces they traverse. The boundaries of the color fields bleed into one another, creating soft transitions and a sense of depth and layering. This blending technique contributes to the painting’s evocative and emotive quality, drawing the viewer into a meditative contemplation of color and form.
