Untitled (from Pasadena Box) - Sam Francis

A dynamic lithograph from the 1966 Pasadena Box series by Sam Francis, featuring fluid blue and yellow organic forms.

This lithograph is part of the Pasadena Box, a collection of prints produced by Sam Francis in 1966. Francis, an American artist known for his engagement with light and colour, utilised the medium of lithography to explore the physical properties of paint and ink. The composition features suspended, organic forms that appear to float across the surface. These shapes, rendered in deep blues and bright yellows, interact through a series of drips, splatters, and washes. The negative space remains active, allowing the forms to breathe and suggesting a sense of spatial depth despite the two-dimensional nature of the print.

Francis spent significant time in Paris, Tokyo, and California, and his work often reflects a synthesis of Western abstract traditions and Eastern calligraphic sensibilities. In this specific work, the application of ink mimics the fluidity of watercolour, creating soft edges where colours bleed into one another. The contrast between the saturated blue clusters and the luminous yellow background creates a dynamic visual tension. The print demonstrates the artist's interest in the process of mark-making, where the spontaneity of the gesture is preserved through the lithographic process. By focusing on the interplay of light and void, Francis invites the viewer to observe the movement of colour across the paper. This piece is a representative example of his mid-career printmaking, where he pushed the boundaries of traditional lithography to achieve painterly effects. The work is catalogued as Lembark L61, reflecting its inclusion in the comprehensive documentation of his graphic output.