Cross-legged Figure with Arms Raised, No. 1 c. 1957 - 1961

Curator: This is Francis Bacon's "Cross-legged Figure with Arms Raised, No. 1," a sketch currently held in the Tate Collections. What strikes you first? Editor: Its raw vulnerability. The figure's pose is almost pleading, yet the sketchiness gives a sense of detachment, a loss of control. Curator: Bacon consistently challenged representational norms. Think about the socio-political climate he was working within. How does the distortion speak to the experience of trauma and existential angst, particularly in the post-war era? Editor: Absolutely. We see the echoes of societal breakdown, a profound questioning of identity in a world redefined by violence and shifting power structures. The figure's anonymity, its lack of defining features, amplifies this feeling of universality. Curator: The absence of a defined date is interesting too. It allows us to consider it outside a specific historical moment, amplifying its timelessness. Editor: Indeed. It becomes a mirror reflecting our ongoing struggles. It is a potent image that continues to haunt.