Cobalt Blue: Writings from the Papers of Sam Francis

A new selected writings from the Californian abstract expressionist famed for his colorful lyricism and dynamic painting This volume beautifully combines the artist's writing with his works on paper in an elegantly designed book. Focusing on principles expressed in his acclaimed Saturated Blue, this volume includes writings from Francis' journals that have never been published before.

Sam Francis (1923–94) painted images with words as well as pigments. He approached art as a mediation between divine inspiration and human existence, and a guiding notion was the philosopher's stone, or Lapis Philosophorum. His writings took the form of aphorisms, poetry, dream memories and prose, each providing insight into his visual art. His publishing project, the Lapis Press, allowed Francis to pursue his love of writing and discover new ways to marry the brilliance of words with the visual. That ethos is reflected in the superb design of this collection. The production used a new seven-color print technology to create plates with added vibrancy and color density.