Study for a Portrait of a Man in Blue 1952

This is ‘Study for a Portrait of a Man in Blue’ by Francis Bacon, and just look at how the paint is applied! You can see how he’s pulled the brush, swiped it, loaded it up, and then maybe even wiped it all off to create that eerie ghost of a face. The surface is raw, not built up like a cake, more like a veil, with thin layers that let the material support come through. In this ‘study’, I’m drawn to the contrast between the frantic energy of the red and blue lines behind and the more controlled, almost classical rendering of the figure, complete with suit and tie. It's like Bacon is using the push and pull of opposites to create a sense of tension, even dread. And then there is that white cube hanging around the sitter, is he trapped? Bacon reminds me of Soutine, in that they both distort and manipulate the human form, but with a completely different feel. Bacon’s art shows that the best conversations happen when you let the unexpected in.