“This lithograph by Sam Francis draws you in with its dynamic splash of color, then holds your gaze with the unexpected power of its open, white spaces. It's a striking example of how a few vibrant hues and careful composition can create a powerful visual experience.”
A burst of color spills across the top of this print, a vibrant contrast to the stark white space that dominates the lower half. This lithograph, titled "Essai" (French for "attempt" or "essay"), invites viewers to consider the interplay between controlled chaos and emptiness. The organic, almost liquid forms of blue, green, and yellow seem to melt into one another, suggesting movement and fluidity. The composition, created in 1963, is characteristic of the period when many artists were exploring how to use open areas of canvas or paper to create tension and focus. Here, the white ground isn't merely blank; it's an active participant, pushing the vivid hues to the edges and allowing them to breathe.
- Artist
- Sam Francis
- Date
- 1963
- Medium
- Lithograph from one zinc plate on ivory wove paper
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- Image/sheet: 40.8 × 31.6 cm (16 1/8 × 12 1/2 in.)
- Collection
- Prints and Drawings
- Culture
- United States
- Credit line
- Gift of Burt Kleiner
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The way the colors bleed and blend, creating soft, undefined edges.
The single, delicate splash of blue extending furthest down the page.
The subtle texture of the ivory wove paper beneath the ink.
The contrast between the dense color at the top and the expansive white below.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Essai — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Sam Francis
1923–1994 · United StatesFrancis learned to paint in a hospital bed and went on to sell canvases for over $13 million.
Further Works by Francis
More from Tachisme
More works to explore
Beyond Francis and Tachisme: works from the same years.
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Greyed Rainbow
Jackson Pollock · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Sun Spot
Yayoi Kusama · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Four Mona Lisas
Andy Warhol · 1978 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
La grande bellezza
Pierre Alechinsky · 1965
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Impregnazione
Piero Manzoni · 1958
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Alka Seltzer
Roy Lichtenstein · 1966 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Captain Joseph Medill Patterson
Ivan Puni · 1962 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Woman at the Piano
Philip Evergood · 1955 · Smithsonian American Art Museum
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Nude under a Pine Tree
Pablo Picasso · 1959 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Flag
Jasper Johns · 1958
Same era · 1940s–1970s
The Banquet
René Magritte · 1958 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Figure with Meat
Francis Bacon · 1954 · Art Institute of Chicago