Francis Bacon Essay

Francis Bacon

For this assignment I wish to research into the reasons as to why Francis Bacon (b. Dublin 1909; d. Madrid 1992) had such a recognisable impact on society, not only through his art but also through his personal life. I will look at his life, artistic context and work as a whole.
Bacon gave the world a new outlook on painting and was widely acknowledged for his talent, as well as intellect. His art does not specifically fall under any established movement as his style is unique. He shocked the art world with his nightmarish imagery and sparked much interest in the psychology behind his paintings. As he is recorded as saying:
The creative process is a cocktail of instinct, skill, culture and a highly creative feverishness. It is not like a drug; it is a particular state when everything happens very quickly, a mixture of consciousness and unconsciousness, of fear and pleasure; it’s a little like making love, the physical act of love.
Francis Bacon was one of the most individualistic, influential and disturbing artists active following World War II. His art centred on the human figure during a time when abstraction dominated the art world. Bacon’s work is known for its bold, horrific, grotesque and nightmarish imagery, often depicted with a strong sexual charge. His subject matter and style have not led to any ‘School of Bacon’ painting, at least partly because they are so extremely personal to him. However, Bacon’s legacy lives on and he is enormously inspirational to other artists concerned with depicting the human figure. Much about his life remains a mystery, despite giving extensive recorded interviews to David Sylvester, Melvyn Bragg and many other renowned critics and commentators. He revealed very little about his family or formative years as a painter.
What we do know of Bacon’s family life is; Bacon was one of five children, born in Dublin 28 October 1909. The family claimed collateral descent from the Elizabethan philosopher Sir...