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(1909-1992)

See also: Expressionism; Bill Brandt's chilling photographic portrait of Francis Bacon

VIEW LIST OF FRANCIS BACON IMAGES ON THE WEB

"English painter of Irish birth. Francis Bacon came to London in 1925 and although he received no formal art training, he created a sensation in 1945 when he exhibited his Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (London, Tate Gallery) at the Lefevre Gallery in London. His work was Expressionist in style, and his distorted human forms were unsettling. He developed his personal style and gloomy subject matter during the 1950s, when he achieved an international reputation. Aside from his unpleasant images of corrupt and disgusting humanity, Bacon deliberately subverted artistic conventions by using the triptych format of Renaissance altarpieces to show the evils of man, rather than the virtues of Christ. In Pope Innocent X he reworked a famous portrait by Velazquez into a screaming mask of angst." - From The Bulfinch Guide to Art History Books on Francis Bacon Bacon : Portraits and Self-Portraits Francis Bacon, France Borel, Milan Kundera This new book offers analysis of 130 of Bacon's portraits, along with many close-ups displaying his technique in detail. Bacon changed the face (literally) of portraiture, and this volume captures how and why he did it. Francis Bacon (World of Art) John Russell From the World of Art series of small paperbacks, this book provides a good introduction to Bacon and his work. Limited graphics, but the text, from respected New York Times art critic John Russell, is what counts here. Francis Bacon : Anatomy of an Enigma Michael Peppiatt Much more than a biography, because this was written by a friend of Bacon's for thirty years, Michael Peppiatt. Peppiatt, a professional art critic, offers first hand interpretations of some of Bacon's most obscure and celebrated works. This is the first biography of Bacon to utilize source documents left in the artist's studio. Francis Bacon : Painter of a Dark Vision Christophe Domino This Harry Abrams-published volume offers an economical assortment of reproductions of Bacon's paintings. Francis Bacon (Modern Masters Series) Hugh Davies The Modern Masters Series, published by Abbeville Press, offers economical monographs on a variety of artists. This Bacon volume includes the usual biographical text accompanied by a large number of high quality reproductions of his work. The only shortcoming of the Abbeville books is a somewhat limited level of art theory in the discussion of works.

Francis Bacon Images on the Web * Links to other Bacon images online can be found at Artcyclopedia. Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1) Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (2) Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (3) Painting Head VI Study for Crouching Nude Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X Second Version of Triptych 1944 (1) Second Version of Triptych 1944 (2) Second Version of Triptych 1944 (3) Man with Dog Three Studies of figures on Beds Portrait of Michel Leris Oedipus and the Sphinx (after Ingres) Study for Self-Portrait Self-Portrait [Art Posters] [Home] [Juxtapositions] [Galleries] [Theory and Criticism] [Art CD-ROM Reviews] [Artchive] [Links]