Untitled I (L. I 87) 1987

Curator: Sam Francis's "Untitled I (L. I 87)", created in 1987 using acrylic on canvas, exemplifies his exploration of Abstract Expressionism. Editor: It’s visually quite dynamic. The stark white background, juxtaposed with these vibrant bursts of color, creates a feeling of organized chaos, like controlled explosions on the canvas. What's your read on this particular composition? Curator: Francis masterfully employs an all-over painting technique here. The interaction between the color fields and the white space is essential. Note how these chromatic gestures aren’t merely decorative, they structure a complex visual language where the void is as meaningful as the painted mark. Editor: I agree that those impasto applications seem fundamental. I am also wondering, how might his process or method impact the viewers experience of the piece, given that it feels so deliberately splashed? Curator: That’s a good point. The materiality of the acrylic, thickly applied and splattered, creates a palpable sense of energy. It embodies the artist's process and engagement with chance, with spontaneity playing a major role in how he defines form. Think about what is happening politically in 1987, maybe the Cold War is nearing its end, is he suggesting a type of hopeful optimism? Editor: Potentially, and from a materialist viewpoint, there's an implied critique of traditional painting practices. It really looks as if he is prioritizing material action, paint’s behavior. There's labor and intention visible within the texture, in how it interacts with the surface itself. Curator: Absolutely, but consider also how those geometric suggestions within the circles reference a deeper artistic history. They almost gesture to modernist explorations of pure form while simultaneously dismantling those conventions. The aesthetic feels like a conversation between tradition and avant-garde approaches. Editor: Ultimately, it invites us to reconsider what painting can be. Instead of aiming for illusionism, it emphasizes the very substances—acrylic and canvas—as the prime generators of aesthetic experience, while pointing towards this new potential freedom within social contexts of the time. Curator: Precisely, engaging with this artwork asks viewers to go beyond mere aesthetic appreciation and dive into a reflective contemplation about how art constructs and embodies meaning. Editor: Thanks to your expertise I find this piece much more interesting than I did initially. Now I understand Francis a bit better, as a materialist as well as in the formal terms that define Abstract Expressionism.