Francis Bacon is considered one of the most important painters of
the twentieth century. A major exhibition of his paintings at the
Royal Academy of Arts, planned for 2020 but postponed because of
the pandemic, explores the role of animals in his work – not
least the human animal. Having often painted dogs and horses, in
1969 Bacon first depicted bullfights. In this powerful series of
works, the interaction between man and beast is dangerous and
cruel, but also disturbingly intimate. Both are contorted in their
anguished struggle, and the erotic lurks not far away:
‘Bullfighting is like boxing,’ Bacon once said. ‘A marvellous
aperitif to sex.’ Twenty-two years later, a lone bull was to be
the subject of his final painting. In this fascinating publication
– a significant addition to the literature on Bacon – expert
authors discuss Bacon’s approach to animals and identify his
varied sources of inspiration, which included wildlife photography
and the motion studies of Eadweard Muybridge. They contend that, by
considering animals in states of vulnerability, anger and unease,
Bacon was able to lay bare the role of instinctual behaviour in the
human condition. Images below, left to right: Francis Bacon
(1909-1992), Fragment of a Crucifixion, 1950. Oil and cotton wool
on canvas, 140 x 108.5 cm. Stedelijk van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven.
Photo Hugo Maertens Francis Bacon (1909-1992), Study for Portrait
(with Two Owls), 1963. Oil on canvas, 198.1 x 144.8 cm. Private
collection. Photo Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd Francis Bacon
(1909-1992), Man with Dog, 1953. Oil on canvas, 152 x 117 cm.
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York. Gift of Seymour H.
Knox Jr, 1955, inv. K1955:3. Photo Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd
All images © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved,
DACS/Artimage 2020.
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