Lithograph by Sam Francis - Composition, 1983

Main works

Basel Mural I (1958), Shining Back (1958), Around the Blues (1962), Dewy Unicorn (1972),

Artistic movements

Lyrical abstraction, abstract expressionism, tachisme, action painting, and colorfield painting.

Inspiration, influence

Sam Francis was influenced by Henri Matisse for his mastery of color and the sense of escape he felt in painting, as well as by Jackson Pollock for his dripping technique, Clyfford Still for his work on background and color, and Mark Rothko for the decomposition of the figure until its complete dissolution.

His contemporaries

Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline.

To keep in mind

Sam Francis, after discovering painting during his hospitalization following an accident, developed a unique aesthetic centered on infinity and color. His work reflects a deep exploration of space, movement, and light, going beyond the traditional boundaries of the canvas.