The artwork “Double Portrait of Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach” is a striking example of Expressionism, completed by artist Francis Bacon in 1964. This genre emphasizes the portrayal of emotional experience over objective reality. As a portrait, it seeks to evoke the inner lives or psychological states of its subjects rather than a literal representation.
The artwork is a diptych, comprising two panels that together form a unified piece. Each panel depicts a figure seated against a stark, abstract background of vibrant, contrasting colors—an orange chair and a green floor set against a yellow wall. The two figures, although seated in similar poses, each occupy their respective canvas in an isolated manner, suggesting a deep, reflective state.
The figure on the left embodies a certain tension, with the body appearing twisted and the face obscured with gestural brushstrokes that distill the expression into a mask of raw emotion. The figure on the right, similarly, features a contorted and abstracted face, with the eyes appearing almost as hollow sockets. The limbs are rendered with a palpable corporeality, creating a contrast with the otherwise ethereal treatment of the figures’ visages.
In summary, Bacon’s “Double Portrait of Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach” captures the intensity of human introspection and lays bare the complexities of the human psyche through a distinctly expressionistic lens. The use of vivid colors and the dramatic manipulation of form in the portrayal of the two figures contribute to an unsettling yet compelling visual narrative that Bacon is renowned for.