Mark Francis is a Northern Irish painter known for his alla prima technique of blurring tones and forms to make photographic effects of glowing light. Like Gerhard Richter’s paintings of aerial photographs or Ross Bleckner’s depictions of infected cells, Francis’ work focuses on the abstract nature of microscopic images, including those of sperm, fungus, and astronomical formations.
He studied at St. Martins School of Art in London before receiving his MA from the Chelsea School of Art in 1986. While studying in London, Francis associated with the Young British Artists, a movement which also includes Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst. He received critical attention from his retrospective “Elements” at the Milton Keynes Gallery in 2000. His work is held in the collections of the Tate Gallery in London, the Manchester City Gallery, the Dublin City Gallery, the Saatchi Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum and the de Young Museum in San Francisco, among others.
