Variant III (from Bright Jade Ghost) 1963

Sam Francis made this, Variant III, sometime in his career, using lithography to conjure floating shapes in a cosmic space. Look at how he allows the ink to splatter, drip, and pool, creating a sense of organic movement and chance. I imagine Francis hovering over the lithographic stone, letting the colors find their own way. It’s like he’s orchestrating a dance of pigments, a kind of controlled chaos. The blues and greens feel watery, oceanic, while the bursts of red and yellow inject a fiery energy. There’s a real sense of play here. See how he builds up layers of color, letting each one peek through, creating depth and luminosity? That smeared gesture there… It's like a lightning bolt of pure feeling. Francis was part of a generation of artists who were pushing the boundaries of abstraction, and you can see the influence of painters like Joan Miró and Yves Tanguy. Painting is a conversation across time, you know? We're all just riffing off each other, trying to find new ways to express the inexpressible.