Untitled 093 1994

Curator: Before us is Sam Francis’s “Untitled 093,” created in 1994 using acrylic paint. The stark white canvas is punctuated with vivid, energetic bursts of color. Editor: My first thought is chaos—but controlled chaos. It's a vibrant explosion trying to resolve itself, with that fascinating semi-circular form anchoring the composition. Curator: The semi-circle, with its rigid, geometric segments, definitely provides a structural element that tames the seemingly spontaneous splashes and drips of color. Knowing that Francis began his artistic career while recovering from a wartime injury informs how I see his later, more energetic works. There's a tension here between the planned and the accidental, maybe reflective of the struggle between order and chance in his life, but what might an iconographic reading suggest? Editor: I'm intrigued by that almost talismanic shape in the middle of the arc, a disc with golden swirls inside. It suggests protection or a hidden power source, maybe even an alchemical symbol buried within this abstract expression. And the use of bright colors contrasted against the white seems like a deliberate attempt to shock and awaken the viewer. I feel a very primal energy radiating from the work; like a ceremonial space from a lost society. Curator: That focus on primordial forces resonates. Francis’s move to non-objective painting was itself a bold statement, removing familiar referents. It challenges the expectations of the 1950s and 60s American art scene in his attempt to directly evoke feeling. What are your feelings as a whole here? Editor: While it defies any single narrative, it stirs a feeling of anticipation, like the moments before a major event. It’s almost a premonition rendered in paint, leaving one pondering both personal and global possibilities, maybe? It is evocative, for sure! Curator: And isn't that, in the end, what truly enduring abstract art is all about? I appreciate that the museum acquired such a pivotal piece during a later part of his creative explorations. Editor: Yes. This particular canvas leaves me contemplative, considering its lasting and ongoing implications.