signed and dated 1990-acrylic on paper 182.25 x 95.9 cm
Provenance and literature
Exhibited: San Rafael, Gallery Smith Andersen North, The Spirit of the Shadow: Paintings and Etchings, June 25-July 29, 2009
About the artist
Sam Francis felt a strong connection to European art, in contrast to the other American Abstract Expressionists. To that end, he lived in Paris from 1950 to 1957. He was particularly drawn to Monet’s water lilies and the art of Matisse and Bonnard; all three were colorists. Sam Francis himself can also be characterized as an abstract colorist.
As early as 1950, he practiced a style of painting in which he covered the entire canvas or paper and sprayed it with often vivid splashes or strokes of color. He approached color from a meditative and spiritual perspective. The white space between the splashes and stains was of great importance to him. In later years, he would often visit the East, including Japan. The Museum Jan van der Togt in Amstelveen happens to possess a large and varied collection of his work, acquired by the former owner of the Tomado factories and bequeathed to the museum. In Brussels, his work can be found on the ceiling of the entrance hall of the Royal Mint Theater. Its rich colors contrast with the black-and-white marble floor by Sol LeWitt from the same renovation project (1984–86).