Carnets bleus

Throughout his life, Sam Francis (1923–1994) wrote extensively but published nothing, except for a few sentences here and there in catalogues. His writings are closely linked to his paintings, although they do not concern aesthetics alone; they often deal with fundamental questions in a subtly metaphysical way. His attention is focused on light, shadow and darkness: the magic of colour, the secret of existence, the evidence and doubt of the universe.

This book is a complete translation of two books: Saturated Blue, published by Lapis Press (a publishing house founded by the artist) shortly before his death, and Cobalt Blue, published by the Sam Francis Foundation in 2019, which is a transcription of the texts found in his studio after his death - poems, notes, notebook pages and diaries. With a few rare exceptions, all the writings in this selection were written in notebooks, on the backs of envelopes or on loose sheets of paper, and kept for decades. The reproductions accompanying these writings are a selection of works which, like the diaries, were created on paper – a surface to which he was truly passionate.