Deux Magots 1960

Sam Francis made this painting, Deux Magots, with paint on canvas. I love the way Francis lets the paint drip and pool; it's like he's inviting chance into the studio, which I always try to do. The cobalt blue is so intense and saturated, broken only by the white of the canvas. The texture is smooth in some areas, and you can really see the brushstrokes. Other sections are splattered with little drops of paint, creating a contrast between control and spontaneity. The way the blue bleeds into the canvas makes it feel like the color is alive, like it's breathing. Look at the lower part of the rectangle on the left, the way the paint has dripped down feels like it has its own gravity. Francis reminds me a little of Joan Mitchell, another painter who wasn’t afraid to let loose with color. Both found ways to express really deep emotion through painting, but they do it in their own distinctive way, it's like they're having a conversation across time.