Morris Louis' Veils series, created between 1954 and 1960, represents a pivotal moment in his artistic journey, showcasing his innovative approach to color, form, and the materiality of paint. After an influential visit to Helen Frankenthaler's studio in 1953, where he encountered her pioneering stain technique in "Mountains and Sea," Louis, along with his peer Kenneth Noland, began to explore similar techniques that would significantly impact his own work. This encounter, facilitated by the critic Clement Greenberg, was instrumental in Louis' development towards creating the Veils​ (Morris Louis)​.

The Veils series marked a departure from Louis' earlier work, embodying a shift towards abstract expressionism with a distinct focus on color field painting. Utilizing a technique where thinned paint was poured and then tilted on unprimed canvas, Louis achieved layers of translucent color that seemed to float within the canvas space, creating a sense of depth and luminosity. This method allowed colors to blend and bleed into one another without a discernible start or end point, emphasizing the painting's surface and the pure experience of color. The series was characterized by its large scale and the physical process involved in its creation, which was both a response to and a departure from the dominant abstract expressionist modes of the time, particularly the action painting represented by artists like Jackson Pollock.

By 1958, after a period of critical exploration and refinement of his technique, Louis returned to painting Veils, an endeavor that coincided with some financial success and recognition in the art world. This period of his career was marked by a deeper investigation into the relationships between color and form, as he continued to expand and refine his approach to painting. The Veils painted during this time were notable for their sophistication in the use of color and the subtlety of their composition, which were both a continuation of and a departure from the early experiments of the series​ (Morris Louis)​.

Louis's work, particularly from the Veils series, was part of a broader movement that sought to push the boundaries of abstract painting. His paintings from this era are celebrated for their emotional intensity, formal innovation, and the unique way they engage with the viewer's perception of space and color. Despite Louis's relatively brief career, his contributions to the development of color field painting and abstract expressionism have left a lasting legacy. The Veils series, in particular, stands as a testament to his pioneering spirit and his relentless pursuit of new ways to express the complexities of visual experience through the medium of paint​ (Morris Louis)​​ (Sydney E-Scholarship Home)​.