Sam Francis
American, 1923–1994
Printmaking was an essential part of Francis’ career. To him, the process of creating prints was as equally important as painting, and he was prolific in both media. By 1992, the date of publication for his catalogue raisonné of prints, Francis had created more than 450 editioned prints. (1) He continued to pursue printmaking after this date until he became too ill to work. In each of these editions he varied the number of impressions. While most had fewer than 50 impressions, they ranged between 5 and 150. (2) Francis said of his process, "Where do images come from, ultimately? I supposed they appear in the soul, first, and I become aware of them. Maybe 'seeing' is just an illusion. I don't think I can 'see' the image fully until I make it. The process of painting is one of devotion." (3) Likewise, the imagery in his prints occurred in the same way, and in fact, Francis’ paintings often were the inspiration for his prints.
Francis created "White Chip," 1973 (2012.9.3) primarily with black ink. Robert Shapazian recalled: "Thinking about this work, I realized that black images occur throughout his career. They are a constant, like the essential interior Being of the artist himself. Set against them is the abundant variety of all the coloristic works, which, as they change in shape and hue, always relate to the dark constant." (4) In fact, beginning in 1973, Francis often made black and white versions of his color prints. J. Jankauskas
2/17/16
(1) Connie W. Lembark, "The Prints of Sam Francis: A Catalogue Raisonne 1960-1990," Easthampton, MA: Hudson Hills Press, 1992 (2) Ibid, p. 18. (3) Francis quoted in Debora Burchett-Lere, “Sam Francis: A Biological Timeline,” "Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Canvas and Panel Paintings 1946–1994," p. 250. (4)Robert Shapazian quoted in Martin Sosin, Sam Francis: Color is the Essence of it All, Santa Monica, CA: Santa Monica College Foundation, 2003, p.2.
American, 1923–1994
White Chip
1973
Object Type:
Print
Dimensions:
15 3/4 in. x 17 3/4 in. (40.01 cm x 45.09 cm)
Medium and Support:
Etching and aquatint on paper
Accession Number:
2012.0009.0003
Credit Line:
Gift of the Sam Francis Foundation
Copyright:
© Sam Francis Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Printmaking was an essential part of Francis’ career. To him, the process of creating prints was as equally important as painting, and he was prolific in both media. By 1992, the date of publication for his catalogue raisonné of prints, Francis had created more than 450 editioned prints. (1) He continued to pursue printmaking after this date until he became too ill to work. In each of these editions he varied the number of impressions. While most had fewer than 50 impressions, they ranged between 5 and 150. (2) Francis said of his process, "Where do images come from, ultimately? I supposed they appear in the soul, first, and I become aware of them. Maybe 'seeing' is just an illusion. I don't think I can 'see' the image fully until I make it. The process of painting is one of devotion." (3) Likewise, the imagery in his prints occurred in the same way, and in fact, Francis’ paintings often were the inspiration for his prints.
Francis created "White Chip," 1973 (2012.9.3) primarily with black ink. Robert Shapazian recalled: "Thinking about this work, I realized that black images occur throughout his career. They are a constant, like the essential interior Being of the artist himself. Set against them is the abundant variety of all the coloristic works, which, as they change in shape and hue, always relate to the dark constant." (4) In fact, beginning in 1973, Francis often made black and white versions of his color prints. J. Jankauskas
2/17/16
(1) Connie W. Lembark, "The Prints of Sam Francis: A Catalogue Raisonne 1960-1990," Easthampton, MA: Hudson Hills Press, 1992 (2) Ibid, p. 18. (3) Francis quoted in Debora Burchett-Lere, “Sam Francis: A Biological Timeline,” "Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Canvas and Panel Paintings 1946–1994," p. 250. (4)Robert Shapazian quoted in Martin Sosin, Sam Francis: Color is the Essence of it All, Santa Monica, CA: Santa Monica College Foundation, 2003, p.2.
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