Beth Shin by artist Morris Louis is a painting on canvas made in 1958. It measures almost eight feet by twelve feet and is hung in landscape orientation, meaning its longest side runs parallel to the floor. This painting is an example of Abstract Expressionism, which is a style of painting that focuses on the gestural and often spontaneous movement of shapes and colors and how they can convey emotion. It is from the artist’s Veil series, which is characteristic of washes of color layered over each other, veiling the chromatic colors until they become achromatic. A simple composition, Beth Shin is made up of a central trapezoidal shape that is a chromatic gray in color on a background of unprimed canvas, which is a soft beige in color as well as a soft weave in texture. The largest side of the trapezoid sits on top of the canvas, just centimeters from its edge. Along this edge are waves upon waves of transparent washes of colors – soft blues, reds and yellows that layer upon each other to create even softer oranges and greens. All of these colors extend vertically down the canvas, mixing to create a complex grayish-purplish brown color that seems to be glowing and radiating from within. The colors flow inward and past the borders of the frame’s edges, creating the shorter side of the trapezoidal shape and appearing to be spilling off of the canvas. Washes of reddish- orange paint gently border the shape, further enhancing its glow from behind. The central shape itself is monumental in its nature, gently towering over its audience like a giant but gentle animal. The artist is known for pouring a viscous maple syrup-like paint called “Magna” directly onto a canvas and then either tilting the frame or varying the tautness of the canvas to gently direct the paint. Because of the unprimed nature of the canvas, the paint is completely penetrated into it, similar to dying fabric. In fact, if one were able to see the back of this painting, they would notice that it is almost the same on both sides. The layering of these drips as well as their soft texture and vertical direction heavily implies that this is the case with Beth Shin. As with many of the artist’s creations, the entire composition seems to vibrate with a simultaneous dullness and vibrancy, stillness and movement, resulting in a meditative experience.