Sam Francis. Lesson of Darkness is the second of a series of five volumes, bringing together the most important writings of Jean-François Lyotard (1924-1998) on contemporary art and artists. This second volume introduces forty-three poetical reflections and comments on the work of the well-known Californian painter Sam Francis (1923-1994). This edition reprints the English text published in 1993, which is no longer available, face to face with the previously unpublished French original. It also reproduces in full colour all forty-three paintings commented upon by Lyotard.

In Lyotard's opinion ‘the work [by Sam Francis] pays homage to the visible marvel and bears witness to the visual enigma'. Lyotard discovers in these poetic reflections the subtle variety of meanings in the use of colour in Sam Francis's paintings.