Study of the Human Body 1982

Francis Bacon’s Study of the Human Body is an oil on canvas, and it feels very of-the-moment, very raw. Bacon’s work is really about the body, and how it moves and contorts, but also the way we see and experience the world. You can see that fleshy, almost tortured form in the center, perched on this rather basic table. The paint isn't labored over, it's pretty direct – you see the brushstrokes, the way he's pushed the paint around. The solid red background throws everything forward, makes it urgent. Look at how the flesh is rendered; it’s almost as if he’s sculpting with the paint, building up these layers of color and texture. It's gross, sure, but that's what makes it so compelling, so real. There's a vulnerability, a kind of exposed nerve. Bacon feels like a cousin of Soutine, both of them wrestling with the form and the messiness of being. They remind us that art doesn't always have to be pretty, it can be a way of grappling with the hard stuff.