Untitled 1957

Sam Francis made this untitled piece, maybe sometime in the mid-century, using what looks like watercolor or very fluid acrylic on paper. It's all about the dance of color and the joy of letting paint do its thing. Look at how the blues and yellows bleed and drip. The paint isn't trying to be anything but itself! It’s thin, transparent, and was probably applied with big, loose brushes. The way the colors pool and run creates a sense of spontaneity. There's a real sense of gravity at play, pulling the paint downwards. That big splash of yellow at the top is like an explosion of light. It feels like the starting point, with everything else cascading from it. Francis reminds me of Helen Frankenthaler, another artist who was all about pouring and staining. But where Frankenthaler is dreamy, Francis feels more energetic. It's like he's wrestling with the paint, but also letting it lead the way. What do you think?