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Lot Essay
This work is identified with the interim identification number of SF58-300 in consideration for the forthcoming Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Unique Works on Paper. This information is subject to change as scholarship continues by the Sam Francis Foundation.
A prime example of Sam Francis’s mature style expressed on an intimate scale, Red Winged was painted in 1958, just two years after the artist’s inclusion in the Museum of Modern Art’s seminal Twelve Artists exhibition. Initially influenced by painters like Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and especially Clyfford Still, Francis eventually veered away from their more robust application in favor of nuanced explorations of light and color. This shift speaks to his immersion in the works of Monet and Bonnard during time spent in Paris in the 1950s. Having mastered the application of watercolor and gouache during a long illness, here Francis effectively translates the vigor and energy of larger oil-on-canvas compositions to a more traditionally delicate medium.
Layering translucent watercolor with striking veins of gouache, Francis builds an undulating form that crackles and sputters onto the white space of the paper. As flecks of color overtake the serene, unadulterated ground, a thick, calligraphic line guides the eye through the composition. This heavy black stroke is softened by pools of mauve, yellow, and blue that cling to its edges until it blooms into a vibrant red cloud. Having visited Japan for the first time in 1957, Red Winged can be seen as a direct result of the artist’s increased interest in empty space and asymmetrical composition. By employing similar motifs and handling of paint, Red Winged fits easily into Francis’ oeuvre and draws immediate comparisons to works like Untitled (1958) and Towards Disappearance, II (1957-58), both housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
A prime example of Sam Francis’s mature style expressed on an intimate scale, Red Winged was painted in 1958, just two years after the artist’s inclusion in the Museum of Modern Art’s seminal Twelve Artists exhibition. Initially influenced by painters like Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and especially Clyfford Still, Francis eventually veered away from their more robust application in favor of nuanced explorations of light and color. This shift speaks to his immersion in the works of Monet and Bonnard during time spent in Paris in the 1950s. Having mastered the application of watercolor and gouache during a long illness, here Francis effectively translates the vigor and energy of larger oil-on-canvas compositions to a more traditionally delicate medium.
Layering translucent watercolor with striking veins of gouache, Francis builds an undulating form that crackles and sputters onto the white space of the paper. As flecks of color overtake the serene, unadulterated ground, a thick, calligraphic line guides the eye through the composition. This heavy black stroke is softened by pools of mauve, yellow, and blue that cling to its edges until it blooms into a vibrant red cloud. Having visited Japan for the first time in 1957, Red Winged can be seen as a direct result of the artist’s increased interest in empty space and asymmetrical composition. By employing similar motifs and handling of paint, Red Winged fits easily into Francis’ oeuvre and draws immediate comparisons to works like Untitled (1958) and Towards Disappearance, II (1957-58), both housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.