Middle Blue 1957

Curator: Sam Francis created this acrylic on canvas titled “Middle Blue” in 1957, and my first thought is its boldness and fragility in the same frame. Editor: There is a feeling of something emerging—a phoenix-like energy that speaks to the potential inherent in the darkest of hues. Blue, so often associated with melancholy, bursts forth with life here. Curator: Absolutely. You have all of the gestural marks that are characteristic of abstract expressionism, yet there is also this sensation of form and maybe intentionality amidst apparent chaos. To me, the concentration of vibrant colors and strong blues on the left evokes themes of birth and formation, opposing the emptiness. Editor: Agreed. We often neglect the cultural climate that produced abstract expressionism. After WWII, America's ascent as a global superpower mirrored this sense of limitless artistic expression. "Middle Blue" certainly reads as a defiant, bold exploration that aligns well with that post-war energy. How does the work challenge our assumptions about beauty and artistic value? Curator: It moves me in that way! It evokes the symbolist artists from decades prior. What do you make of the vast open space in comparison to this active concentration? There are echoes of Zen Buddhism and the idea of “emptiness”. This void gives even greater weight to what’s happening on the edges. I notice tiny lines extending across the canvas, subtle marks that bind the contrasting spaces together. Editor: Yes, those delicate strokes certainly offer pathways across this perceived divide. One must acknowledge how radical non-figurative abstraction still was, particularly the ways in which Francis challenged representational norms, encouraging the spectator to forge unique relationships with color and form outside the conventions of realism. Curator: Francis seems interested in how seemingly discordant entities might converse through symbols. A symbol does not belong to one thing only. It points past what can be seen to evoke broader concepts. Editor: "Middle Blue," as an artwork, pushes us to confront our inherited assumptions. It asks how we assign value and meaning to art in ways that are both thought-provoking and potentially destabilizing. Curator: Thinking about the lasting power of images, and what they tell us about history and ourselves. Editor: Precisely. I find that incredibly thought-provoking. I leave with this in mind.