Study for Painting (1946) by Francis Bacon

Ambling slowly around the Museum of Modern Art, I was awestruck by the scale of the imposing image which hung before me upon the wall. Study for Painting (1946) has all the hallmarks of a Bacon painting: the geometric framework within the composition, the strong, meaty flesh tones and the enigmatic representation of its subject. At the time I was studying towards my foundation diploma, creating or attempting to create paintings with a similar psychological edge. This painting hit home particularly due to the scale and the tangible movement of pigment upon canvas. The obscure figure concealing his identity within the shadows of his umbrella, standing afore the hanging carcasses that detail the mutilation that became so succinct with Bacon's later works.

This painting typifies what Bacon does, a truly suggestive figurative painting that has a psychological murkiness that is so eloquently grounded and pinned into place by his trademark geometric interior. The resounding quality for me is the physicality of the work, the humanistic record of Bacon's struggle in the creation of the work. This is perfectly matched with the meaty palette that'd possibly be more akin to the inside of an abattoir.

The truly inspirational element of Bacon's practise to an individual at such a formative stage of their creative pursuits is the fact that he had received no formal training to paint whatsoever and the fact that one could use their creative instincts to produce works that retain the raw elements of their execution.

Scott William Causier

swcausier.blogspot.com