Sam Lewis Francis, American, Japanese, French, 1923 to 1994, oil painting on board depicting an Abstract Expressionist composition. Signed lower left. Framed. Sam Francis is known for Splatter-stain imagery painting, graphics. An Abstract Expressionist painter known for his brilliant coloration and splotch like shapes, Sam Francis became one of the big name modernist artists of the second half of the 20th century. He was much influenced by Clyfford Styll and Mark Rothko. Unlike the creations of many of the Abstract Expressionists and the Bay Area Figurative painters, his work was light and airy and increasingly decorative. Seeking his own approach to abstraction, he spent much of his career out of the United States, especially in France. One of a kind artwork.