One section, stuffed with a pillow that protrudes beneath, contrasts with another that drapes onto the floor. Broad swaths of red and blue are splattered with flickers of yellow, ochre, purple, and white that burst like fireworks in a night sky. While these gestures surge upward and outward, they remain intentionally short, keeping the raw burlap visible. Fringe fibers hang from both ends, reinforcing the burlap’s association with carpets and their practical nature. A few sewn-in plastic buttons punctuate the surface, providing moments of stillness amid the surrounding vibrancy.

With its textile elements and bulging shape, Crouch recalls Sigmund Freud’s iconic couch, which is clad in patterned carpets and placed against a wall, also covered in fabric, to create an immersive environment. Through a psychoanalytic lens, the layers of paint in Lewis’s work conjure subconscious associations beneath the surface and a complex interplay between spontaneity and introspection. Unlike the free-flowing gestures associated with Abstract Expressionism, the physical posture implied by the title Crouch suggests a more restrained and anticipatory state, reflecting inner struggles of containment and release inherent in the creative process.

Despite the raw and spontaneous look of his work, Lewis’s process is deliberate and begins long before the layers of paint start to accumulate on the surface. Having acquired a loom to create his own burlap in the studio, he produces a fabric with a looser structure that feels rougher than conventional canvas.

This texture not only offers a more engaging surface to explore, but also serves as a coded language reflecting both practical and economic realities. It intertwines deeper cultural and historical threads, as well as the material conditions—both literal and figurative—of his work. Through his use of burlap, Lewis honors African American heritage.

Recognizing the rich history of textile craftsmanship in Black communities, he acknowledges the struggles and resilience associated with labor during and after slavery, particularly in the exploitative cotton industry. By using this material, he asserts his artistic agency and reclaims realities often downplayed in historical narratives. In this sense, his work represents a “rewriting” of expression, framing emotion within the context of collective trauma and cultural resilience. Just as burlap connects his work to broader realities, the paper pulp he crafts in his studio serves a similar purpose in his smaller-scale pieces. In these works, the dirt-like materiality, especially in more monochrome paintings, creates a tension between the rawness of the medium and the beauty of the final pieces, while its connection to production cycles links them to broader societal and economic contexts.

Although Lewis is best known for his gestural paintings, particularly on unconventional grounds like burlap, his exploration of expression spans a variety of materials, each deepening our understanding of its mediated nature. For example, in his text-based Velcro works from the same year as Crouch, the material’s inherent malleability provokes questions about how emotions can be performed and manipulated according to various pressures. Whether through the lens of Freud’s couch or through engagement with the materials, Lewis’s work transforms viewing into a reflective process that prioritizes self-awareness over simple answers.

In a culture that expects us to conform, his work invites a more nuanced exploration of the complexities of our inner lives and the external forces that shape them.

-Elisa Schaar