SAM FRANCIS "FIREWOOD" SCREENPRINT, 1973

Sam Francis (1923-1994) is one of the most distinctive and collected 20th-century abstract artists. 

Francis began painting during convalescence from an injury sustained during a plane crash whilst serving in WWII. Initially used as a distraction, he committed himself fully to painting upon his return to the United states in the mid 40's, pouring his focus in to artistic education. After receiving a Masters in art from UC Berkley in 1950, Francis moved to Paris which would serve a crucial role in helping develop his aesthetic language. By 1953 one of his canvases was included in the MoMA's seminal exhibition "Twelve Artists" which quickly led to his international reputation. 

Stylistically, Francis is associated with the second-generation abstract expressionist artists and, to a lesser degree, the Parisian Tachists. Although American, he was not tethered to New York City, instead spending the 1950s as an expat, working and exhibiting in Paris, Mexico City, Japan, and Switzerland. As a result, he does not fit neatly in to the categories normally used to describe post-war abstraction.

With an explosive energy, this screenprint represents Francis' signature style. Featuring a combination of splatters and bimorphic forms executed in primary colours, the composition vibrates with verve. The primary blues, reds, and yellows are applied with slight transparency, emitting new hues as they mingle and overlap. The white space is activated by splatters from the central, cross-hatched lines. Francis' title gives us a hint as to where his mind was when creating the composition--and it's not difficult to see logs stacked; with nascent flames gathering around them.

Impressions of this screenprint are in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; the Walker Art Center; the Denver Art Museum. 

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"Firewood"

USA, 1973

Screenprint in colours on Arches 88 wove paper

Signed by "Sam Francis" and numbered "16/50" in pencil, lower edge

From an edition of 50, with 10 artist's proofs

Published by Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles with their blindstamps recto and in stamp, verso

Printed by Gary Reams and Robert Knisel

32"H 39.75"W (sheet)

Unframed

Good condition

Literature: Lembark, W. C. (1992). The Prints of Sam Francis: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1960-1990. New York: Hudson Hills Press

Reference: Lembark 1992, no. S15

Provenance: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York