Untitled 1988

This untitled artwork was made by Sam Francis using paint splattered on what looks like a canvas or paper. Wow, what a fantastic splashy painting! I imagine Francis standing over the canvas, flicking his wrist just so, letting gravity and chance do their thing. The colors are pretty straightforward: reds, blues, yellows, and greens, but the way they mingle and spray out feels totally free. You get the sense he’s trying to make a space where color can just… exist, unburdened. There’s this one fat red shape that kinda looks like a comma or a big ol’ kidney bean, hanging out at the top. It’s like he set the stage and then let the paint party begin. I’m sure Pollock would have appreciated this one. These guys were all in conversation, right? Figuring out how to let the painting just *happen*.