Untitled 1989

This untitled artwork was made by Sam Francis, using paint. The piece is full of action, made with bright primary colors against a white background. It’s like the paint was thrown on there, dripped, splattered, and allowed to have its own way. I can imagine Francis in the studio, whirling around the canvas, feeling the energy of the paint itself, and the force of gravity. The red is pooling in the middle, and the yellow streaks off to the side. Then there are these tiny dots, like stars, scattered across the surface. Look at the way the colors interact, how the teal cuts through the red like a river carving its path. Francis was part of a generation wrestling with what painting could be after so much history, after the war, after so much had already been said. He was pushing the limits, and letting the paint lead the way. It makes you wonder what he was thinking, what he was trying to express by letting go.