Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon was a very famous artist, a bit of a celebrity in his day…he was famous because of his work, but also because of the life he led.

Look at his work and see if you can form some ideas about his character…

Francis Bacon‘Screaming Pope’ left

copy based on a painting by Velasquez below right

Right – Francis Bacon ‘Self Portrait’

Below – photograph of Francis Bacon by Bill Brandt

Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion 1944

Can you describe the mood of these figures…?

Are they human…?

Are there any important world events taking place at the time this painting was done….?

Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh IV 1957 Bacon based this painting on a self-portrait

by Vincent Van Gogh which he knew only from photographs, as it had been destroyed by wartime bombing. The painter seems lonely, while the dark shadows introduce a sense a sad mood and give the feeling that something bad might happen….

• Perhaps Francis Bacon wanted to ‘The Other Side’ of artist Vincent Van Gogh…instead of the ‘famous artist’ he shows us someone who is lonely, probably misunderstood and isolated from people in society.

Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh 1957 by Francis Bacon

Homework – Answer the following questions in full sentences

1. Describe the mood of the figure?

2. Describe the similarities between this picture and this self portrait by Van Gogh (below)

3. Describe the differences between this picture and the Van Gogh.

4. What does the Francis Bacon picture tell us about Van Gogh?

Van Gogh – self portrait