Francis, Sam

Francis, Sam, 1923–94, American painter, b. San Mateo, Calif. Educated in medicine, Francis began painting while recovering from an injury received in World War II. His mural-sized paintings are stained with brilliant, transparent oil color. Small areas of color are concentrated irregularly over a canvas that is largely white. In his later works the use of color is confined to the sides of the canvas.

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Francis, (Samuel Lewis) Sam (1923–  ) painter; born in San Mateo, Calif. After recovery from tuberculosis (1944–47) and extensive travel, he settled in Los Angeles, Calif. He is noted for his abstract expressionist paintings, as in White Painting (1950), where the color is amorphous; later the coloration is brilliant, as in Polar Red (1973).