Francis Bacon

Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism

Francis Bacon Details

Amazon.com Review This book accompanies the traveling retrospective that inaugurated the newly reopened Yale Center for British Art in January 1999. Francis Bacon (1909-1992), the eminent British painter known for his large, colorful, and grotesque paintings of the human body, was very controlling of what was written about his work during his lifetime; this book marks the first time that each painting is individually discussed in print. Included in the book are essays that provide great insight into Bacon's life and personality. Especially revealing is an essay by Michael Peppiatt, Bacon's close friend and biographer (he wrote Francis Bacon: Anatomy of an Enigma). Bacon lived a life of heavy drinking, gambling, and socializing, and Peppiatt discusses this lifestyle in relation to the work: "Bacon himself pretended he painted particularly well with a hangover. 'My mind simply crackles with electricity after one of those evenings.'" Along with beautiful reproductions of the paintings are some photographs of Bacon's studio, which is astounding in its filth. The floor is littered with various detritus; brushes and paint tubes are everywhere. Bacon's intensity is as evident in these studio shots as in the paintings with contorted figures and grimacing, bruise-colored faces. You can practically watch the human body decay in front of your eyes. --Jennifer Cohen Read more From Library Journal The Yale Center for British Art and the other museums (in Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Fort Worth) sponsoring this retrospective were generous in the production of this catalog. More than 150 pages, including several foldouts, are filled with reproductions of the 74 works in the show; extensive captions appear on facing pages. Preceding these entries are some short interviews and a pair of essays for the general reader that touch on all the important points in Bacons life and career and discuss his influences and style. And yet, something about the book seems incomplete. While the reproductions are fine, they do not convey the texture and hues of the originals, and this reviewer wished for more variation in the presentation, including close-ups and comparisons across the strict chronological layout. And there is the matter of this major retrospective missing a few key works, a problem the catalog unnecessarily mimics. Most of all one wonders about the aim of the bookor the show for that matter; neither is trying for anything particularly new in addressing one of the most exhibited and published artists of recent years.Eric Bryant, Library JournalCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Read more See all Editorial Reviews

Reviews

Herrmoso libro con mucha información de toda la obra del artista . Recomendable !!

Share this post