Sam Francis - Untitled1978
Project description:
Sam Francis, (1923 -1994)
Untitled (1978)
acrylic on linen, 90" x 60"
CONDITION PRIOR TO TREATMENT
Untitled (1978) is a large vertical acrylic grid composition on canvas, strikingly slender and colorful. The sequence of colored forms applied to the primed canvas is complex but can be deciphered when examined closely. In Untitled (1978), Francis first organized the canvas into five broad vertical and seven horizontal forms using a thin wash of a transparent aqua blue applied with a paint roller, the outer edges of these broad shapes, which intersect at right angles, are still visible underneath the upper layers of paint. Overall, the paint is rather thin, and it thickens where the broad lines intersect. The texture variations are most visible when viewed in raking light (as shown in figures 2 and 3). Colors spill into each other and combine into large and small color pools set against solid thicker shapes with small holes residual from air bubbles whipped into the paint on application. The regular texture of the cotton or linen support is almost always present, and is often visible through the poured colors. Inevitably, the paint frequently invades and marks the tacking margins, which gives these paintings another dimension when viewed from the side.
Despite the wide range of paint types and somewhat unorthodox application techniques used, the Grid paintings are surviving remarkably well with time. The colors still retain their vivid intensity, the variations in gloss are still evident, and it is rare to see any type of flaking or delamination. Perhaps the most obvious factor, which might be considered as deterioration, is the cracking that is often visible on his paintings. This can range from a fine, overall craquelure to deep crevasses, and is more commonly encountered in the thicker, poured orbs of paint.
However, all of these cracks are likely to have developed shortly after the completion of the painting, and the incredible adhesive power of acrylic resins has ensured that the paint remains stable with no danger of loss. In fact, Francis would have seen these cracks, in some instances even applying subsequent paint layers over a recently formed crack. And importantly for conservation thinking, he is reported to have been not at all concerned with it, instead accepting this change as part of the aging process in the already complex and three-dimensional surfaces that characterize his paintings.
TREATMENT
The painting Untitled (1978) in conjunction with another large grid painting, Free Floating Clouds of 1980, was used as a study piece for the technical essay, as part of the Sam Frnacis Catalogue Raisonne. The canvas was in a very good condition overall, with some local desaturation of sheen. Vapor treatment was used locally to reverse the de-saturated appearance of matte passages. The painting was carefully surface cleaned. A few areas of fine cracking were identified in the thicker passages of poured paint and these were consolidated with a conservation grade adhesive, as needed. A few larger cracks were carefully inpainted using Gamblin Conservation Colors to restore the visual integrity of the individual thick orbs of color.