Skidmore Contemporary Art
presents
BLUE RHAPSODY
By Augustus Francis
Augustus Francis
Blue Rhapsody, 2025
Oil, wax, dry pigment, and synthetic resin on canvas
48” x 72”
Augustus Francis’s work often references the nonmateriality of music as foundational to his conception of painting. A rhapsody is a one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, a free-flowing structure with highly contrasting moods and expansive tonal ranges.
Shown above to visualize its scale, Blue Rhapsody strongly embodies Francis’s stated interest in the principles of music, particularly through its rhythmic composition, tonal layering, and sense of improvisational structure.
An immersive abstract composition awash in deep indigos, sapphire blues, and scattered flecks of white, pale green, and lavender. This piece conjures the sensation of a star-filled night sky or a cosmic cloudscape, blending the expansive with the intimate.
Layers of expressive splatter and atmospheric diffusion suggest techniques akin to those used by Jackson Pollock or contemporary action painters, where control and chaos are held in delicate tension. The work’s textured surface and celestial palette make a sophisticated statement with both energy and depth.
The atmospheric blues and punctuating whites and greens evoke both harmony and dissonance, similar to how jazz or classical compositions layer notes and silence. The result feels both spontaneous and orchestrated. The work is inspired by and operates like music, offering an experience that’s felt as much as seen.
INQUIRE
To explore other works of contemporary art available at
Skidmore Contemporary Art
please visit us at
Skidmore Contemporary Art
326 N Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, California 92651
VIEW MAP
To find out more please
reach out to
lia@liaskidmore.com
310-922-5070