Untitled (SF72-1009) 1972

Sam Francis made this untitled work using watercolour sometime in the late twentieth century. The initial impression is one of joyful abandon, a celebration of process, with the violet and crimson shades contained, almost caged, by the heavy black frame. Look closely, and you'll see how the colours bleed and blend, revealing the fluid, watery nature of the medium. The texture is smooth, almost translucent, with the white of the paper peeking through in places. Francis hasn't concealed his process, each brushstroke feels spontaneous, an intuitive response to the evolving composition. I find my eye drawn to the dark, bold strokes in the upper left corner. They seem to reach out beyond the frame, defying the imposed structure, suggesting the possibility of escape, like a bird taking flight. Francis' contemporary, Helen Frankenthaler, worked in a similar vein, staining the canvas with vibrant colours, but Francis has a different sensibility, a sense of raw energy and unrestrained freedom, which encourages us to embrace ambiguity.