Morris Louis' art from the 1960s is characterized by a period of intense innovation and productivity, leading up to his untimely death in 1962. During these years, Louis solidified his position as a pioneering figure in Color Field painting, a movement that sought to emphasize the flatness of the canvas and explore the possibilities of color as the primary means of expression. One of the hallmark series of this period is the "Unfurleds," which Louis began in the summer of 1960. These works are monumental in scale, often stretching up to 20 feet in width, and feature bold, expansive forms that seem to float against a largely untouched canvas. The most famous of these paintings present two vibrant patterns of color that stretch from the canvas's edges towards a blank center, creating a sense of movement and dynamism that was both planned and executed with meticulous care. Despite their seeming improvisation, Louis destroyed any piece that did not meet his strict standards, underscoring the deliberate nature of his artistic process​ (The Art Story)​. Another significant contribution from Louis in the 1960s is his "Stripe" series, created in the final months of his life. These paintings represent a further simplification of form, consisting of tightly arranged bands of color that further distill his exploration of color and composition. Unlike the more fluid paint application seen in earlier works, the Stripe paintings feature carefully plotted lines of color that do not intersect or overlap, eliminating any gestural mark-making and moving towards a more minimalist aesthetic. This series underscores Louis's role in the transition from the emotional intensity of Abstract Expressionism to the more restrained and conceptual approaches of Minimalism and Post-Painterly Abstraction​ (The Art Story)​​ (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)​. "Pungent Distances," a painting from this series, exemplifies Louis's mastery of the stripe motif and his continued experimentation with the medium of paint. By thinning his pigment with turpentine and applying it to an unprimed canvas, Louis was able to create works where the color not only sits on the surface but becomes integral to the canvas itself. This method of working, influenced by Helen Frankenthaler and recalling the "zips" of Barnett Newman, represents a significant evolution in his artistic practice. Louis's work from the 1960s, particularly through its restraint and precision, played a key role in the development of post-painterly abstraction, as noted by critic Clement Greenberg​ (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)​. Despite his brief career, Morris Louis's contributions in the early 1960s continue to resonate in the history of modern art, marking a crucial transition point between expressive and conceptual approaches to painting and laying the groundwork for future generations of artists.