Study for Head of Isabel Rawsthorne 1967

Francis Bacon made this Study for Head of Isabel Rawsthorne using oil on canvas, and what strikes me is his approach to applying paint, like he’s wrestling with the very idea of a face. The texture is raw, immediate. Bacon wasn’t trying to hide his process here. See that thick black mark slashing across the nose? It's brutal, almost violent, but so expressive! The way he smears the paint, thin in some areas, thick in others, makes you feel the tension, the struggle to capture something elusive, something beyond the surface. It reminds me of the German Expressionists, like Kirchner, who weren't afraid to distort reality to get to the emotional truth. Bacon, like them, embraces ambiguity, reminding us that art isn't about easy answers but about asking complex questions.