Lisa 1955

Editor: We’re looking at "Lisa," painted by Francis Bacon in 1955. It's an oil painting, and honestly, the first thing that strikes me is the sense of unease. The face seems to dissolve before my eyes. What do you see in this piece, from your perspective? Curator: Oh, honey, Bacon's portraits *always* get under your skin, don't they? This one is a raw scream trapped in paint. The dissolving face – it's like seeing a soul fighting its container, this identity we cling to so tightly. Do you see those vertical lines slicing through the background? Like prison bars, perhaps? He traps the subjects in a visceral state. Editor: Yes, the lines are unsettling! Are they purely compositional, or are they meant to symbolize something deeper? Curator: Symbols are slippery things, but in Bacon's world, those lines certainly add to the suffocating feeling. He painted post-war anguish, the frailty of being human when faced with monstrous possibilities. "We are all meat," Bacon once said. The rawness here? That's our condition laid bare. Think you feel brave enough to contemplate this condition ? Editor: The idea of raw meat does make the portrait seem vulnerable. This wasn't immediately evident. Thanks for pointing that out. Curator: Anytime, and remember beauty is often the shadow of something awful, ain’t it? Bacon gets that. He's not aiming to be pretty. Editor: So true! I am leaving with a totally altered idea of what this painting represents. Thanks! Curator: Bless your heart! Never stop chasing the shudder, it keeps the heart awake.