Untitled 1985
acrylic on paper
73 x 47,5 cm
on the reverse/verso stamped, numbered as well as stamp of the estate: Sam Francis "The Sam Francis Estate" SF85-492
The work is registered in the archive of the Sam Francis Foundation Passadena, California with the provisionally number SF85-492 and will be integrated in the catalogue raisonné "Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of unique works on paper".
Provenance
Christie's Tel Aviv, Auktion 20. April 2006, Los 122;
private collection Northern Germany
Literature
Vgl.: Debra Burchett-Lere, Aneta Zebala, Sam Francis. The artist's materials, Los Angeles 2019;
Ingrid Mössinger (Hg.), Sam Francis. The Shadow of Colors, Zürich, 1995
"Painting is about the beauty of space and the power of containment." (Sam Francis)
The paper works of the 1980s show an affinity for Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. Meandering lines of color form a mesh that stands out graphically from the white pictorial ground as a painterly abbreviation, seeming to float in front of it. The sweeping color stripes combined with the explosive splashes of color that drift off in all directions result in a dense composition that is at the same time characterized by an "impression of lightness and harmony" . In this painting, Sam Francis excellently combines the broad, impulsive brushstroke of Tachism as a central pictorial element with the dynamic, gestural dripping of Action Painting. Painted entirely in monochrome blue, he achieves a harmonious balance between strong color application and translucent pictorial ground, between containment (of form) and free development, between flowing color rivulets and confidently set, dominant brushstrokes. "Sam Francis possessed a lyrical and gestural hand that enabled him to capture and record the brilliance, energy and intensity of color..." Thus, he established himself in this field of tension as one of the most important representatives of Action Painting as well as Tachism, developing a very individual, pioneering style of painting through the lyrical character of fluid color inspired by Asian art.
