Untitled 1960

Sam Francis made this painting with fluid gestures and a bold, airy palette. Just imagine him, in his studio, paint flying everywhere, improvising with splashes and washes of blues and white. I sympathize with the artist because painting can be so raw and direct, like dancing on canvas. Looking at this piece, I feel the physicality of the paint – thin in some areas, pooling in others. I can see how each splatter or brushstroke communicates a feeling, maybe a burst of energy or a moment of quiet reflection. The large dark blue mass on the left looms like a storm cloud. Francis has that confidence to let the white of the paper breathe, like a jazz musician leaving space for improvisation. I find myself wondering if he was looking at Joan Mitchell, those other painters who embraced the accidental. Artists are always in conversation, even across time. Each piece builds on what came before, pushing the boundaries of what paint can do and mean. It is a way of understanding the world through feeling and form.