Color aquatint, etching and drypoint with embossing, 1992. 493x726 mm; 10 1/2x28 5/8 inches, full margins. Artist's proof, aside from the edition of 75. Signed and numbered XIX/XXIV in pencil, lower margin. Printed by Vigna Antoniniana Stamperia d'Arte, Rome, with the blind stamp lower left. A superb impression with vibrant colors.
Sam Francis (1923-1994) turned to painting while recouperating from injuries sustained in a plane crash while serving in the Air Force during World War II. Like fellow Californian William Diebenkorn, he was initially influenced by Abstract Expressionism, more specifically by Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still and Arshile Gorky, and then developed his own distinct abstract style through the 1960s and onward. Sam Francis's travels to Japan and the influence of Zen Buddhism are themes that he dealt with during his mature career. Nevertheless, his bold, gestural style is never far from Abstract Expressionism and evidenced readily in his prolific output as a printmaker, including more than 100 intaglio prints, 20 screenprints and 285 litnographs. SFE-080RC.
