Untitled (SFP94-149, SFF.1819) 1994

This untitled painting was made by Sam Francis, probably not long before he died, using paint. Look at how the colors move! There's this amazing push and pull between the dark, saturated blues and reds, and these surprising pops of orange, all punctuated by the blank white spaces. The paint isn't carefully applied; it’s dripped, splattered, and allowed to bleed. It’s like Francis is letting the materials do their thing, embracing the unpredictable nature of the process. There’s this one spot in the lower part of the painting where thin lines of orange paint squiggle, almost like graffiti. They're raw and immediate, contrasting with the more diffused areas of color around them. For me, that one little bit feels like a key to the whole painting, a reminder that art is about letting go and trusting your instincts. Francis’s work makes me think of Helen Frankenthaler, another artist who wasn't afraid to let paint be paint.