Chinese Planet 1963

Sam Francis made 'Chinese Planet' using lithography, and what strikes me right away is the dance between intention and accident, you know? How much is planned, and how much is just... happens? There's a real physicality to this print, a sense of the hand in the making. Look at the way the red and blue pools of ink interact with the white of the paper, creating these vibrant, almost otherworldly forms. See that big, splattery shape at the top left? The way the red seems to bleed out from the blue, like some kind of cosmic event... it's all about the texture, the color, the surface. It feels like the ink is still wet, still moving. Francis reminds me a bit of Joan Miró, in the way he creates these playful, ambiguous spaces. But Francis is looser, more gestural. Ultimately, it’s not about figuring out what it *means,* but about letting yourself be drawn into its orbit, and seeing where it takes you.