Red, Black, Blue; Composition

Maker

Sam Francis (artist)
1923-1994

Title

Date of Production

1958

Medium

watercolour and bodycolour on paper

Dimensions

Height: 56.5 cm
Width: 76.3 cm

Accession Number

LD.2020.HK.7

Mode of Acquisition

Karshan Collection, long-term loan, 2020

Credit

Promised gift by Linda Karshan in memory of her husband, Howard Karshan. On long-term loan to The Courtauld Gallery, London

Copyright

Location

Not currently on display

Label Text

Despite its title, Sam Francis’s watercolour contains a rainbow of shimmering hues. His poetic and emotive use of colour partly stemmed from his experience of the landscape and the sky as a military pilot. He was also inspired by the Impressionist paintings he encountered while living in Paris. However, the gestural freedom with which he worked is characteristic of the Abstract Expressionist movement in post-war America. Here, the composition fluctuates between order, as seen in the interlocking cells, and chance, embodied by drips and areas of colour layered in whilst some of the watercolour underneath was still wet.

Provenance

Arthur Tooth and Sons Ltd., London; Judge Guy Dixon, London, 1958; acquired from him by Brook Street Gallery, London/Regency Art Corporation, Panama; purchased there by Howard Karshan (1933-2017), 11 June 1975; Promised gift by Linda Karshan in memory of her husband, Howard Karshan. On long-term loan to The Courtauld Gallery, London.

Exhibition History

Modern Drawings: The Karshan Gift, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 19/11/2021-09/01/2022

Literature

Modern Drawings: The Karshan Gift, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20 Nov. 2021 - 9 Jan. 2022
cat. no. 15
Fig. p. 87, details on p. 88 and front and back covers

Burchett-Lere, Debra (ed.), SAM FRANCIS ONLINE CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ PROJECT, https://cr.samfrancisfoundation.org/
no. 11518
as 'Untitled'

Inscriptions

Inscription: Verso: upper right, pink bodycolour, signed and dated: "Sam Francis 58".

Information on this object may be incomplete and will be updated as research progresses. We are particularly committed to addressing any discriminatory or offensive language and ideas that might be present in our records. To help improve this record, and to enquire about images of The Courtauld Gallery Collection, please email gallery.collectionsonline@courtauld.ac.uk. Find out more about using and licensing our images.

____________________________

Buy a print from our collection