Sam Francis

This painting reflects the splatter and drip techniques that Sam Francis began experimenting with in the 1950s alongside his interest in utilizing unfinished areas of the canvas as formal components, a method that is common in traditional Japanese painting. Francis’ interest in East Asian philosophy and aesthetics began during his early development as a painter long before he traveled to Japan for the first time in 1957. His interest in Asian painting and calligraphy is said to have influenced the use of “a void” in his paintings. The provenance for the artwork includes the late artist Fred Martin, who befriended Francis while they were art students at UC Berkeley in the 1940s, and with whom he remained close through the duration of his career.