SAM FRANCIS American, 1923-1994
Untitled SF87-071 , 1987
Stamp Signed Acrylic on Handmade Paper
68 x 50 cm. / 26.8 x 19.7 in.
This is an acrylic painting on handmade paper by Sam Francis.
It was painted in 1987.
It is stamp signed in ink with artist’s signature “Sam Francis” verso and it bears the ink stamp of the Sam Francis Estate, verso.
The reference numbers S1-91I SF-87 are annotated, verso.
This work is identified with the interim identification number of SF87-071 in consideration for the forthcoming Sam Francis catalogue raisonné of unique works on paper.
The sheet does not act as a limit for Sam Francis, as we can see in the 1987 work SF87-071. He has thickly applied dense areas of paint that flow over the edges, drying and freeing the overall composition from the restrictive space of the sheet edges. The selection of a handmade paper with a slight green tone has also enabled Francis to sparingly apply paint, but still manage to achieve movement and a three-dimensional depth. The acrylics sit comfortably layering only at crossing sparingly at a few points and red mixes slowly with the green, blue and orange to varying intensity. This work challenges our preconceptions of Abstract Expressionism, as the thickness of the acrylic indicates a sense of slow and measured application – reliant on the drying process to give strength, whilst the visual effect to portray a lightness in rapid movement. It is the embodiment of Francis’ interest in East Asian ink paintings, every movement is a pre-meditated and considered action, one which appears deceptively spontaneous.
It was painted in 1987.
It is stamp signed in ink with artist’s signature “Sam Francis” verso and it bears the ink stamp of the Sam Francis Estate, verso.
The reference numbers S1-91I SF-87 are annotated, verso.
This work is identified with the interim identification number of SF87-071 in consideration for the forthcoming Sam Francis catalogue raisonné of unique works on paper.
The sheet does not act as a limit for Sam Francis, as we can see in the 1987 work SF87-071. He has thickly applied dense areas of paint that flow over the edges, drying and freeing the overall composition from the restrictive space of the sheet edges. The selection of a handmade paper with a slight green tone has also enabled Francis to sparingly apply paint, but still manage to achieve movement and a three-dimensional depth. The acrylics sit comfortably layering only at crossing sparingly at a few points and red mixes slowly with the green, blue and orange to varying intensity. This work challenges our preconceptions of Abstract Expressionism, as the thickness of the acrylic indicates a sense of slow and measured application – reliant on the drying process to give strength, whilst the visual effect to portray a lightness in rapid movement. It is the embodiment of Francis’ interest in East Asian ink paintings, every movement is a pre-meditated and considered action, one which appears deceptively spontaneous.
$ 34,000.00
