Three Portraits: Posthumous Portrait of George Dyer, Self-portrait, and Portrait of Lucian Freud 1973

Curator: "Three Portraits: Posthumous Portrait of George Dyer, Self-portrait, and Portrait of Lucian Freud," a triptych rendered in oil paint by Francis Bacon in 1973. It’s strikingly unsettling; the figures are distorted and the atmosphere is thick with tension. What's your take? Editor: It is incredibly haunting. I notice the smeared quality of the figures. Is it possible to connect this aspect of the painting to a critique of portraiture's typical role in society as something flattering? It is meant to solidify the subject's legacy. In this painting, there seems to be no legacy; just bodies breaking down. Curator: Exactly. Think about Bacon’s process, his intense manipulation of paint. What labor goes into the construction of these portraits? The application and reworking of paint embodies not only emotional turmoil, but literal deconstruction of form. Bacon used a variety of tools, from brushes to rags. The evidence of physical manipulation here underscores the manufactured nature of identity itself, breaking with tradition and making us consider the means of production of an image and its role in commodifying, or in this case, deconstructing, a persona. Editor: That's a good point; it sounds like his methods deliberately prevented an easy reading. But I am not familiar with what exactly the art scene was in London at the time. Is it connected to something else? Curator: Absolutely. We must see this work against the backdrop of Post-War austerity and social shifts in England. How would such constraints change an artist’s practice? How would scarcity impact not only what one consumes but what one creates, thereby challenging established norms surrounding consumption? Editor: This materialist lens really enriches my interpretation! Thank you, this really shifts how I perceive these portraits. Curator: I'm glad to hear that, it encourages a dialogue that transcends the artwork to encompass something else: labor.