Untitled (SFP94-49, SFF.1723) 1994

Curator: This is an untitled mixed media piece by Sam Francis, created in 1994. Editor: Well, it certainly has an energetic feel, a real burst of color and form. The way those colors splatter gives a sense of spontaneity, almost aggressive spontaneity! Curator: It's interesting you say aggressive. Francis, while associated with Abstract Expressionism, pushed beyond many of its conventions. Look at how he leaves areas of the canvas bare. It's not the all-over composition that defined Pollock. Instead, there is a strong interest in the material support and the way these gestural markings play against it. Editor: Yes, I'm noticing those voids, and how they highlight the materiality of the paint itself. The pooling of acrylic, the contrasting textures, the flat support shining through the composition. Francis had a background in medicine before becoming an artist, which led him into Abstract Expressionism. Perhaps those forms suggest cells under a microscope, even in abstraction, which relates to a larger conversation in abstract art of exploring unseen elements of the world. Curator: Exactly. And thinking historically, the creation of this piece falls relatively late in Francis’ career, and we should keep in mind the significance of Abstract Expressionism shifting from a counterculture force in the mid-century, to the art of corporate lobbies in the 90’s. These grand gestures of emotionality and action are consumed into more sterile architectural environments, often at odds with any truly disruptive function. Editor: Interesting point, it's a historical trajectory not often associated with Francis's oeuvre, or that of his peers. Looking again, that does make me wonder how the process, the act of creation, becomes absorbed into the finished piece itself, separated from its context. Curator: These layers create an illusion of depth and allow one to spend hours searching, while the artist, having finished his act of creation, walks away. And ultimately it leads to reflection on Abstract Expressionism, and where it sits today in popular society. Editor: The materiality and artistic touch speak clearly to one artist's passion within a vast cultural-political context, both inspiring and slightly mournful when seen from a distance.