Untitled 1985

This untitled painting was made by Sam Francis, and it's a trip. It’s all swirly shapes and dreamy colours, like black, salmon pink, and this acidy-kind-of-seafoam green. Imagine the guy making it, pushing the paint around, maybe tilting the surface to let those colours bleed into each other. There’s this dance between control and letting go, right? I can imagine Sam thinking about Rothko’s blocks of colour, but wanting to move it on, let loose. Look at that looping gesture in the middle – it's like a big question mark, or a snake slithering through a psychedelic landscape. It’s not about what it looks like, it's more about how it makes you feel. Francis is part of this longer conversation, this call and response between painters.