Untitled 1960

Sam Francis made this untitled painting with ink and acrylic on paper sometime in his lifetime, and it’s a riot of blues, whites, reds, and yellows. The way Francis lets the paint drip and pool is really interesting. It’s like he’s not trying to control the medium too much, allowing it to have its own say in the final image. See that big blue form on the left? The colour’s so dense there, almost like a storm cloud, but then it thins out into these delicate splatters. I love the way he contrasts that solid blue with the airy, almost weightless quality of the rest of the painting. It reminds me a little of Joan Mitchell’s work, actually. Both artists have this incredible sense of gesture and movement, but Francis has a lightness of touch that’s all his own. Ultimately, this piece is about embracing the unexpected and finding beauty in the unpredictable. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to be about perfection or control; sometimes, it’s about letting go and seeing where the process takes you.