SAM FRANCIS (1923-1994)

The luminous Composition, Blue, Yellow, Red and Composition, Yellow, Blue, Black and White, two contemporaneous gouaches dating to 1959, exquisitely capture Sam Francis’ innated understanding of colour and luscious brushwork. Both works are saturated with vibrant blue, the colour which would come to dominate Francis’ work in the 1960s. These gouaches were held in the collection of Dr. Georg and Josi Guggenheim who were important patrons of and a dazzling presence within the art community. In Composition, Blue, Yellow, Red, a wreath of yellow yields to this blue, and together, both are dotted with a spattering of red. In Composition, Yellow, Blue, Black and White, the colours instead spiral outwards from the centre, a balancing act between the prismatic hues and white gaps. Despite their small size, Francis has wholly animated his colours, giving these compositions a weighty presence. Indeed, as critic Dore Ashton noted, ‘An aqueous medium is better suited to his lyricism… It is quite a task to suggest the element of chance, impromptu meetings and fallings away – as Francis does – and still remain master of your means’ (D. Ashton, ‘Art’, Arts and Architecture, vol. 761m no. 2 February 1959, p. 31).