“Color represents an aspect of divine energy, and in human terms is measured in relation to desire.” Sam Francis Native Californian painter and printmaker, Sam Francis is most noted for his use of dynamic forms saturated with intense color amid spaces of white. He studied medicine and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, but joined the Air Force in 1943. Francis began painting during a prolonged hospitalization for spinal tuberculosis.... [Later] he pursued his art education at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco and again at UC Berkeley. Abstract Expressionism and French Impressionism influenced his early paintings, and most likely compelled him to move to Paris in 1950 where he remained for 10 years. While there, he quickly exhibited his work in solo and group shows, earning him a reputation as a “tâchiste” (“stain” or “splash”) painter, a group of painters that preferred to accentuate brilliant color through painterly strokes. After a highly successful stint in Paris, including shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the 1959 Bienal de São Paolo, Francis again returned to California in 1961 where he lived for the remainder of his life. In addition to his contemporary Western influences, the interplay of negative space and bursts of color can be attributed to his study of Japanese calligraphy art during his frequent visits to Japan. Francis’ works have been exhibited in multitudes of international galleries and museums, including the New Tate Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art, Japan, the LA County Museum of Art.... (https://lamodern.com/featured-artists/sam-francis/) The main elements and the very heart of Francis’ work have always been light and space. This is not an innovative element in the world of painting – what is unique in the oeuvre of Sam Francis is the way he translated the everlasting play of light and space not only into the regular painterly works... (http://www.widewalls.ch/artist/sam-francis/) undefined

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