Sam Francis Untitled, 1982 renders a lovely expressive artwork that embodies Francis’ bold and imaginative spirit. Within this pictorial frame, he guides one’s field of vision down a tight coiling pattern that creates a sense of uniformity. It slowly opens up from the center in spiral formation, balanced by loose splatters of paint in sporadic colors. Often times, Francis’ works are best known as grandiose, gestural, and poetic. Such is the case for Untitled, 1982. Along with the tight, spiral shape and looser, quick-handed paint splatters, Francis creates a work that manifests harmony. He reveals a very simple yet powerful color palette consisting of black, red, green, purple, and yellow. Here too, one can sense the power of harmony in congruence with his use of color. The bold yet simple colors invite the audience to gauge directly with them. Each color has a personality of its own that evokes some kind of reaction. No longer is color just a pure aesthetically pleasing element in art, but it becomes a subject here in Untitled, 1982. The reds and brightly lit yellows elicit the sensation of satisfaction and contentment while the purples give out a sense of moodiness. Each section of this piece is dominated with a portion of the shape and color—no matter where one stares, this piece captures Sam Francis’ bold sense of imagination. The process of his works documents a transformative quality—something that was parallel to his art. This particular work shows his progress as a human being, growing in bold spirit that translates exceptionally well on paper.

Created in 1982, this unique original monotype with oil paint, dry pigment, watercolor, and ink on handmade paper is hand signed by Sam Francis (San Mateo, 1923- Santa Monica, 1994) in pencil in the lower right.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

1. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

About the Framing:

Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Sam Francis Untitled, 1982 is presented in a complementary moulding and optical grade Plexiglas.