Dog 1952

Francis Bacon made this large oil painting called ‘Dog’, though when, I'm not sure, and in many ways, that doesn't matter. Bacon used to chuck paint at the canvas, smear it around, and see what happened; this piece seems to be about that process of artmaking itself, a dance with chance. What strikes me is the raw physicality. The red and yellow backdrop almost vibrates, like a stage set, while the black above feels like a void. Look closely at the way Bacon handled the paint; it's thin and almost translucent in places, thick and opaque in others. You can almost see the ghosts of earlier marks underneath. The dog itself is a blur of grey and white, caught in motion, its form dissolving into the surrounding space. Bacon, like his contemporary Lucian Freud, was obsessed with the body, and they both made work that’s uncomfortable. They were both deeply influenced by artists like Picasso and Velázquez, and carried painting forward into a new era. It's a conversation across time. Ultimately, this painting is about ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own interpretations and experiences to the canvas.