Sam Francis is said to have loved color. Is this love of color shown in this work? How does the color make you feel? What effect would the color have if it was predominantly red or black rather than blue? Would that change the mood of the painting?
Why are there so many drips on the painting? Why do you think he left them there?
What is the predominant shape in Blue? The shapes can be described as organic. What are the different meanings of that word and what meaning applies in this context? What effect do these round, organic shapes have? Imagine if the composition were filled with squares instead, how would this change the feel of the work?
Experiment with different ways of applying paint. Dab, brush, splatter and swirl and examine the results.
A French critic called Sam Francis’ work “l’abstrait chaud” or hot abstraction. Why would he call it hot rather than cold? Compare this to geometric abstraction like Stella’s Pilica II. How are they different? Similar?
Pretend that you are Sam Francis and someone just asked you what Blue is about. What would you tell them? Write an essay about your response. What is the painting’s subject matter? Why did you make these choices? Be creative.