Francis Bacon – Artwork & Bio of the Irish Painter

Francis Bacon was an Irish painter born on 28 October 1909 in Dublin, Ireland. Due to his father’s distaste for homosexuality, Bacon was exiled from his father’s house as a teenager. He spent the next period of his life traveling around Europe, eventually settling in London in the late-1960s. Bacon initially worked with furniture design before Roy de Maistre began mentoring him in oil painting.

Bacon participated in successful exhibitions in the 1940s and started gaining recognition. During this period, Bacon took an interest in depicting bodies in motion and painted from photographs. He also began to paint portraits of his close friends. Self-portraits and international exhibitions characterized the later years of Bacon’s career. On 28 April 1992, Bacon suffered a heart attack and died in Madrid.

What was Francis Bacon Known For?

The early period of Bacon’s career contained works having themes of violence and pain. The subjects in these works appeared to be wounded and affected by violence. Later, Bacon’s interest in moving bodies convinced him to change the theme and motifs of his works. He often painted the photographs that his friend, John Deakin, captured.

Who was Francis Bacon Influenced By?

Born to a father who was a war officer and former soldier, Francis saw the horrors of the war firsthand from a young age. The effect of his exposure is evident in his earlier violence-themed works. Subsequently, the photographs of Eadweard Muybridge influenced Bacon’s interest in painting bodies in motion. He collected many of the photographer’s books and often used them as references.

What Art Movement was Francis Bacon Associated With?

Francis Bacon was associated with the Expressionism art movement. Bacon’s works always portrayed a certain expression and message.