Bacon by Lightbulb
I came across this interesting video today about an exhibition of Francis’ Bacon‘s work called ‘Francis Bacon, A Terrible Beauty. The exhibition, which ran from 28th October 2009 – 7th March 2010 was at the Hugh Lane City Gallery, Dublin Ireland. Although I didn’t manage to get to this exhibition, I have been to the Hugh Lane Gallery and seen Bacon’s studio. When I used to paint down in my cellar, my space looked very much like this (it’s not a big space and has no natural light, just a bare lightbulb just like Bacon’s). This particular exhibition as well as celebrating Bacon’s Dublin roots, shows the unusual way in which Bacon worked. Photographs by John Deakin were found all over Bacon’s studio. Deakin a friend of Bacon’s was an exceptional photographer, brutally honest and just a bit sleazy (the man himself wasn’t an easy man and could be rather unpredictable) The photos of a very young Lucien Freud in particular reveal the artist in his bohemian habitat and the crumpled, trodden, paint stained, creased and ripped negatives and photos show Bacon’s fascination with photographic images – and how he translated this (including their state) into his work.
Thanks to FeenishProductions video
PLUS
There are already 3 wonderful and very different poems in this challenge! Please read – and see what you can do 🙂
April 15, 2011 at 3:40 pm
Oh WOW! The studio remains all the time, right? Thank you for posting this., Lynda. Somehow, this museum, taking the time to show his studio and how he worked, touches on the reality of the artist’s existence. I like that.
April 16, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Yes the stuff is placed as exactly as found Leslie (it’s a wonder he could find anything to paint with) My favorite is the mirror which has all paint on and all the silver faded. I bet that mirror could tell
some tales eh 😀
April 17, 2011 at 7:22 pm
I keep coming back to watch this. Something very inspiring about this whole message, to me. Perhaps it is the sense of comfort in finding a place that fulfills my feelings of the communal with another artist. I rarely look at Bacon’s work as something to “lift me”, but this truly does! Thank you, again, Lynda.
April 18, 2011 at 1:13 am
A bit of Bacon can be an uplifting experience Leslie 😀 I know what you mean though. The human condition for him was brutal and in a way savagely beautiful. Have read quite a lot about him and seen the documentaries and the film, I would say that he may have not been everybodys cup of tea as an artist – or a man – but he was brutally honest and its a bravery I have to applaud.
I love his working environment. I find his work quite ordered and he had a strict regime by which he painted at (first thing in the morning with an enormous hangover) – and yet he worked in all this chaos! Fascinating 😀
April 16, 2011 at 1:52 am
Gotta be one of the must interesting artists ever.
Both his art and lifestyle spoke of a dark character.
April 16, 2011 at 2:33 pm
With a very unusual way of working too. In the film ‘Love is the Devil’ Bacon (played by Derek Jacobi) uses a bin lid when he wants to paint a circle 😀
April 19, 2011 at 12:59 am
Really, that is unusual but then i suppose starving artists do have limited budgets. lol
April 19, 2011 at 9:26 am
Here’s a trailer of the film. You can see where Bacon gets his ideas from (and you may recognise the actor who plays George Dyer…. 🙂 )
April 19, 2011 at 10:27 am
Fascinating video, Lynda. It’s quite bamazing what you find on YouTube!
April 19, 2011 at 11:50 am
Yes it it is isn’t it……. Someone actually made a video of me doing one of my poems at an open mike night (I live in DREAD that it
surfaces :-0 )
April 20, 2011 at 4:01 pm
I’m searching for it right now on YouTube….lol!
April 20, 2011 at 4:22 pm
Eek :-0 Don’t worry its not been unleashed on the poor old unsuspecting public yet (at least I think/hope it hasnt :-0)