Francis Bacon: Portraits

Francis Bacon was an English painter known for his raw, provocative and unsettling imagery which he used to explore themes of nihilism and death. Born in Ireland in 1909, he spent his twenties between London, Paris and Berlin, exploring the artistic scenes there. He led a rudimentary lifestyle, partaking in petty theft and the underground gay scenes of each city.

A tortured artist in many ways - he dealt with addiction issues and estrangement as well as a depressive, existentialist outlook on life - Bacon's pain is palpable within each of his portraits. Depicting grotesque imagery, such as contorted limbs, howling mouths agape, crucifixions and blood, his art portrays a real feeling of angst, anxiety and suffering. Some of such portraits draw inspiration from the Old Masters and Surrealists, like Study After Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1953) in which Bacon renders Velazquez's famous portrait into a terrified and haunting figure as per his artistic style. 

An iconic and innovative artist, make one of Francis Bacon's portraits your own by discovering our selection on Artsper.