Untitled

Sam FrancisWW-1963-084559

1963·Color lithograph on white nacre paper·67 × 92 cm (26 7/16 × 36 1/4 in.)

<p>Francis's special feel for the transparency inherent in color lithography is exemplified by this print, made during his first Tamarind fellowship. His method of developing a print without a preliminary drawing invited variations, frequently resulting in more than one version of a particular image. The Tamarind fellowship marked the painter's increasing concern with lithography. By 1970, Francis was so committed to making prints as an integral part of his studio practice that he established his own print shop, which he called the Litho Shop Inc.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1963
Medium: Color lithograph on white nacre paper
Dimensions: 67 × 92 cm (26 7/16 × 36 1/4 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Sam Francis

Artist

Sam Francis

Painting

Born in San Mateo, California, in 1923, Sam Francis served in the US Air Force corps during World War II, later earning degrees in psychology and botany at UC Berkeley. Moving to Paris in the 1950s, he encountered Monet’s Waterlilies, which proved lastingly influential to his art’s scale and sensitivity to light, color, and abstract art. The artist also traveled extensively – to Tokyo, Mexico City, and New York to name a few – and became familiar with non-Western philosophy. His work evolved from monochromatic abstractions to rich chromatic murals to his iconic “open” paintings: in which vividly hued splashes and drips of color are punctuated by expanses of white. These abstract expressionist paintings became synonymous with Francis’s work, as the movement came to be defined alongside him.

Paris, France and Santa Monica, USA

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