Customer Reviews

Portrait of an Artist - Francis Bacon [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This video is recommended viewing for all die- hard Francis Bacon fans. You will get to see his infamous hang outs, his friends and foes. He is also quite frank about his likes and dislikes in the art world (i.e. He hated Rothko!). Also, he talks at length about his theories and sources of his art.

this 50 minute piece produced by BBC follows the great painter Francis Bacon around from the streets of london, to the Tate Gallery, to a drunken lunch, to the painters studio at 7 Reece Mews, to the reknown Colony Room - a drinking club Bacon frequented for 40 years, and finally to a late night casino. very interesting portrayal and the comments from Bacon are in great form. A perfect introduction to the painter and for those quite familar with Bacon you will most likely recognize many of his statements - he often says the same things over and over (more or less) but its still very interesting to see him in action. in addition the paintings and close-ups they show during the video are so much more fulfilling the reproductions. i saw some paintings in a completely new light.

Words cannot express how great this interview was to see. It was so exciting to see the great oil painter revealing his technique and views on life in this documentary. If your that interested in Bacon to read this review you should get it.

Francis Bacon was a titanic figure in 20th Century Art. We've all read reviews, manifestoes, literature, criticism, and let's raise our hands here, lots and lots of jargon in the service of 20th Century Art. This video has none of that. It is very straightforward and simple, and shows Bacon as a clear, direct thinker, despite his fearsome reputation. He is unapologetic about his disturbing imagery, and makes no excuses or elevated claims for his art. His artistic modesty is impressive. While not reluctant to cut down some of painting's other giants (poor Rothko especially), he is convinced that his art is nothing more than what it is, and he speaks of it in plain English. His paintings employ some of the hottest, most loaded images in modern art, but he never opens up about any personal demons, though George Dyer's suicide, which he does discuss, was one of a litany of woes those familiar with his biography will recognize. Painting for him seems a response to the world, not a search for answers. Therefore, he finds no answers and offers none to his audience. What you see is "realism".

This DVD is described very well by the Editorial Reviews supplied by Amazon above. Bacon is charming and very self-revelatory about both his personal life and his work. Though not a big fan of his work still, this helped me to understand him better, and hearing an artist describing his work is the very best way to help in this. The only reason I give it 4 stars is he's not one of my favorite artists, but I was sorry to see this end.

Brought to you by the BBC what you get is a 50 minute look at the enigmatic painter, good interviewing job by Melvyn Bragg, view some of Bacon's paintings, and go along with Bragg and Bacon to the messy studio and his favorite hangouts. They say he could be very dark, his moods shifting unpredictably, and that the closer you got the more inevitable the darkness. But Bacon could also be upbeat and a real pleasure and that side is present in the film. He candidly answers questions about various aspects of his work and life, offers views on other painters (loves Van Gogh, loathes abstract expressionism), but doesn't analyze his paintings. What's there is there. Nothing to be said of it. I myself can understand how his paintings of meat and twisted bodies and screaming popes could shock people in the 1940s because these images are still unsettling. Good art lasts. (Too bad this is only available for such an outrageous price as of July 26th!) 4.5 stars.