Study of Red Pope 1962

This is one of Francis Bacon’s ‘Red Pope’ paintings. Look at the way he’s applied the paint, almost like he’s wrestling with the canvas, trying to pin down a fleeting image. There’s something about the materiality of Bacon’s work that gets under your skin. The way he uses color and texture is almost brutal. The red is so intense, it feels like a scream. And then there are these ghostly figures lurking in the background, like half-formed memories. Notice the way he smears and distorts the features of the Pope himself. It’s as if he’s trying to capture the essence of power and corruption in one fell swoop. There's a raw vulnerability in his process. Bacon reminds me of Goya, with that same dark vision and unflinching gaze. For Bacon, painting wasn’t just about representation, it was about confronting the messy, chaotic reality of existence. He invites us to do the same, embracing ambiguity over easy answers.