Customer Reviews

Francis Bacon

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At first glance, this catalog is a marvel--heavy paper stock, literate commentary. On closer examination, however, you'll note that in several cases, the colour plates do not reflect the paintings' reality. To wit, the Lucien Freud triptych, where the background color field's yellow is substantially different from the work as viewed in the Retrospective. This problem appears in several other plates. But the worst lapse is in the Morrocan landscape (title escapes me at the moment). That catalog image is actually REVERSED, or 'flopped' in photo terms.Note the red in the foreground is on the wrong side of the painting. How could Abrams makes such a serious error? For a volume costing $60, no less. Anyone who has the good fortune to view this magnificent exhibit will see the problems.

What I found most appealing about this retrospective (and by extension, the exhibition that it catalogs) is the great variety of material that is covered. In many collections of Bacon's work, certain (generally earlier) facets of his ouvre (the wild animals, the paintings of Van Gogh, etc) are glossed over in favor of others (the Crucifixions, his output during the 60's, the portraits of George Dyer, etc). This retrospective, however, gives an amazingly well-balanced view of the artist's career.

Even though some of Bacon's "major" paintings, like "Painting (1946)" and "Study After Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X" are not included, this is more than made up for by the sheer variety of the material that has been covered. The commentary that accompanies the paintings is good, and while not extensive, the biographical information and snippets of interviews are very compelling. Anyone with an appreciation for Bacon's work should have this book.

If you want to add an extraordinary book to your library, this is the one to buy. Francis Bacon's works, and words, are presented in a profoundly moving volume,with exquisite reproductions and intelligent essays by curators and friends.

Bacon's haunting, provocative creatures writhe with intense agony. They reflect an inborn fatality and atheism, and are relentless in their unflinching starkness of vision. He asks no mercy, gives no quarter, and stubbornly refuses to soften the nihilism of his views.

If you can't afford one of his canvases, this book is an admirable substitute.

Well, here it all is - the paintings, the analysis of the person, the milieu that aided in the production of this prodigious artist, brilliant essays that go further than predessors into the hows and whys of Francis Bacon - the much anticipated Retrospective book and exhibition. One of the finest aspects of this book is the placement of descriptions of the background and the implications of each painting adjacent to the work. No search party needed here. If only as much attention to detail would have been spent on the four color separations of the works then this would truly have been the definitive work about one of the most exciting painters of the last century...AND chronicler of the disintegration of society and mentality brought about by the dissecting sciences.

i love that francis bacon is credited in the title above as 'illustrator" in dennis farr's little retrospective. bacon who sought to avoid illustration in his paintings by creating a reality, often relying somewhat on chance, that if inaccurate was in his mind 'greater' than the truth. this taken from a very moving quote from van gogh, whose letters and paintings francis studied closely. the reverse landscape in question is in fact reversed - its like an error card. otherwise the text is intelligent and the body of work is well chosen but there are so many bacon paintings its hard to find a comprehensive publication.