Sam Francis began creating paintings dominated by blue in the early 1960s, initiating what became known as the Blue Balls series. Organic, cell-like spheres float through a white, cosmic space, their forms shifting as if they were liquid. While the Blue Balls works were often painted in what Francis called “Saturated Blue”—the purest, most vivid, and fully realized blue—this work incorporates not only blue but also green, red, yellow, and purple. Through brushstrokes, drips, and splashes, these colors spread across the surface, bringing the white areas of the composition into relief. This white “void” suggests an infinitely expanding space; yet on closer inspection, it is not a pure white but a bluish white subtly infused with traces of blue. The blue of the spheres appears to dissolve into and merge with the surrounding space, creating a sense of fluidity and transformation in both form and environment. One can even sense a tactile quality in the colors and shapes themselves. Fine blue splatters spread across the surface like delicate threads, subtly linking the individual spheres to one another.
Having first visited Japan in 1957, Francis returned for a second stay in 1960–61. During this period, he developed close relationships with leading figures in Japan’s artistic, literary, and musical circles, including Yoshiaki Tōno, Tōru Takemitsu, Makoto Ōoka, Kenzaburō Ōe, Shusaku Arakawa, Hisao Dōmoto, and Keiji Usami. However, while working on the Blue Balls series for a solo exhibition at Minami Gallery, he contracted renal tuberculosis and was forced to leave Japan in January 1961. In light of this experience, the series may also evoke a sense of unfulfilled emotion or suppressed desire associated with the phrase “blue balls.” After recovering and settling into a new home in Santa Monica around 1962, vibrant color combinations once again emerged in Francis’s work. During this period, he also produced several paintings dominated by red, although they did not feature spherical forms. In the present work, a small translucent organic form containing red appears in the upper right, while a deep blue sphere occupies the lower left. Areas of purple, created through the interaction of red and blue, can also be seen throughout the composition. These organic forms floating within the vastness of space may evoke cells or bodily organs, while at the same time suggesting sensual or primordial forms of life.