Untitled 1987

Editor: This is Sam Francis’s “Untitled” from 1987, created with acrylic paint. I’m immediately drawn to the bold colors and how they seem to float on the canvas. It feels so spontaneous. What is your take on it? Curator: From a materialist perspective, consider the 'spontaneity' you observe. It is manufactured using commercially produced acrylic paint. Look at how Francis deploys this medium. Does the pooling and staining undermine traditional notions of artistic labor? The gesture may evoke freedom, but acrylic's mass production reveals complex relationship with labor. How does the scale impact our understanding of artistic production and consumption in the 80s? Editor: I see what you mean. The acrylic, a product of mass production, contrasts with the unique artistic act of applying it to the canvas. So, is Francis commenting on this tension between the mass-produced and the individual? Curator: Precisely! And we cannot ignore the role of "allover" painting as another level of commercial distribution of visual signs in the cultural context of its time. How does the choice of color interact with this relationship between distribution, value and scarcity? Is this art elevating craft, or commodifying freedom of expression? Editor: The bright colors, then, might be a commentary on the accessibility and even disposability of color in a consumerist society. It’s made me think about abstract expressionism in a totally new way. Curator: Yes, considering materials, methods and economic environment complicates any idea of this piece being merely “spontaneous.” Editor: Exactly! Looking at it this way has made me question the whole concept of originality and the artist's hand. Thanks!