Francis Bacon: Anatomy Of An Enigma

by Michael Peppiatt, Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon has long been recognized as one of the most original of all modern artists; his canvases of screaming popes and dismembered human figures are defining images of twentieth-century anguish. Bacon was also a legend in the London demimonde, a man who followed long nights of drinking, gambling, and sexual adventure with intense early morning encounters with the blank canvas.When Michael Peppiatt first met him in 1963, Bacon, then in his early fifties, was at the height of his powers. Over the next thirty years, Peppiatt became a close friend of Bacon's and one of his most perceptive critics, and he has produced a fascinating, disturbing portrait of this agonized modern artist.Bacon (1909–92) was raised in large country houses in rural Ireland by a family whose conventional expectations he rebelled against early on. As a young man he was introduced to the seamy side of life in London and Paris; but only after seeing a Picasso retrospective in 1928 did he become an artist. He sprang into prominence in 1944 with a triptych which shocked the art world with its sheer ferocity, and he soon emerged, with his friend Lucian Freud, as a leader of an informal “School of London,” which favored figurative painting in an age dominated by abstraction.As retrospectives of Bacon's work in Paris, London, and New York made his reputation soar, his nighttime exploits grew wilder and wilder; charming and confident, with a strong sadomasochistic streak, he was drawn to “rough trade” in London clubs and pushed all situations to the edge. At the same time, he was a deeply cultivated and thoughtful artist who was obsessively guarded about the sources of his inspiration.Peppiatt has unlocked many of the enigmas of Bacon's life and work. Bacon talked openly to Peppiatt about his early life, his sexuality, his fantasies, and his ambitions, aware that all was being recorded for publication. At the suggestion that some of his remarks would sound indiscreet, Bacon replied: “The more indiscreet, the more interesting it will be.” Together with many new facts, unpublished documents, and penetrating analyses of key paintings, these conversations have been integrated into what is the most complete and riveting account of one of the greatest artists of our time.

Genres: Art, Biography, Nonfiction, Art History, History, Biography Memoir, 20th Century

408 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Hannah Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francis Bacon has always been, rather aptly, something of an enigma to me. From a relatively young age I appreciated his works simply because of his vivacious use of bright colour and then, as I grew older, I came to appreciate the compelling and dark figures hidden beneath the seemingly bright veneer.

I picked the biography up on something as a whim. It was a book we were planning on getting rid of at the shop I work at and, recognising the name, I thought it sounded interesting. Moreover, as I knew (though he denied it) he was a part of the Surrealist movement alongside my all-time favoruite artist Dalí I thought it could make for some interesting reading - something I was absolutely more than right about.

Peppiatt straddles well the difficulties of writing a fond memoir of a friend and an analytical biography which dispassionately examines the person in question. Moreover, he consciously avoids the pitfall which many who write about any individual with a creative output fall into - that of constantly attempting to relate biographical instances to their works. On the occasions that he does to this, it is always with caution and occasionally with alternative interpretations alongside it which allows the reader to draw their own conclusions.

The personal stories wherein Peppiatt slips into the first person and recalls an anecdote of a night he spent alongside the artist also gives the work a sense of intimacy. It helps you, as a reader, almost forget the level of fame and the amount of money this extraordinary person earned and instead makes Bacon seem an individual that you know, understand, and come to relate to.

However, what makes this book truly extraordinary is the man that it is written about. I knew nothing of his life story and the adversity that he had to overcome to become the public figure he grew into. Peppiatt also succeeds in this area in making him a somewhat vulnerable character which enables you to view his paintings with new eyes. Bacon is truly an icon of the twentieth century and his paintings have a dark resonance which embodies the isolation and confusion he appeared to find in many aspects of his life.

[Samina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only got two thirds of the way through. A great book to gain insight into the unique character that is francis bacon. Does well on mapping out the different periods of his life and how they informed his art. The book also gives context as to the locations and scenes of the respective periods which I found fascinating. In particular how he relates to his queerness in different countries at a time where being queer was still censured. However the book was quite repetitive, drawn out and made a few too many art world references (that went over my head) for me to stay engaged.

[Niall Stevensn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undoubtedly one of best biographies on Francis Bacon (see edit). Peppiatt was of course a close friend of the artist so is well placed to recount Bacon's extraordinary life story; particularly first-hand descriptions the long drinking sessions in Soho, Paris, and elsewhere. The writing is clear and concise just as one would expect from the author. I've given the book four stars as it does take a bit of a dip in the middle. If you're a Bacon fanatic you'll probably know most of the details about his life in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The first few chapters are brilliant, however, and contain many elucidating insights about the artist's family and upbringing that I hadn't read anywhere else. There is also a selection of carefully chosen photographs of Bacon, his parents, nanny, friends, and lovers to complement the text.
If you want an even more personal insight into how the friendship between Bacon and Peppiatt evolved, and how the artist became something of a father figure to him, I would also recommend the memoir 'Francis Bacon in Your Blood' as a follow up.

Edit (Jan 2021): It should also be noted that this biography does include certain errors. This is inevitable as Bacon scholarship is an expanding field; particularly with regard to the period during which the artist travelled throughout Europe in the late 1920s and early 30s (these decades, understandably, are the focus of several upcoming volumes on Bacon). For the most up-to-date information, I would strongly suggest cross-referencing material contained within this book with the recent Francis Bacon Studies released by The Estate of Francis Bacon. Newly published photographic sources and recently transcribed diary entries (originally written by Eric Allden) can be found in 'Inside Francis Bacon' and these clearly show details Peppiatt either overlooked, or didn't have access to at the time of writing.
It is also worth mentioning the newly released (Jan 2021) biography titled 'Revelations' by Stevens and Swan which, being some ten years in the making, looks to be the most thorough overview of the artist's life published to date (although it must be said, after having read through the sections detailing the period of FB's life mentioned above, that book also seems to contain contradictory information when compared to chronologies listed in the otherwise excellent Catalogue Raisonné from 2016). Still, I would tentatively go with information found in 'Revelations' for the time being for anyone carrying out research into the artist.

[AnnaLee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was wonderful and fascinating, just like Mr Francis. Though I think, in his deepest heart of hearts, he was an absurdist rather than a nihilist. I wish I could sit in a dark room eating yummy food and talking with him for hours.

[E. G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Preface

--Francis Bacon: Anatomy of an Enigma

Postscript: The Afterlife of an Atheist
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

[Nicolas Van Der Haar · Rating 3 out of 5]

While an interesting read on Bacon’s life and career, I don’t find him as much an “enigma” as more just a representation of his era akin to Gore Vidal or Ayn Rand. Also tends to glamourise and fantasise his sexual life because Bacon tended to do so, I’d have liked this work more if it attempted to discuss Bacon besides his personal life rather than through it.

[William Justice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disgustingly shocking, two chapters was my limit.

A completely lost soul, living to discover a lower level
Of depravity to wallow in. I would not recommend this book to anyone, ever!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to stop at the 50% mark. Started off really great–fresh writing and original concept. But the halt starts at about the 30% mark and never quite picks up again.

[Micah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this felt like was in one of paintings: doubled over, agonized. Is it worth your time to read it. Definitely.
Fair warning: Francis Bacon does not let up.

[Joe Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good biography.

This is the best of two Bacon biographies I've read so far. The other was Revalations, which I also enjoyed.

[John McNulty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and a nice balance betweene research and the heart of the man expressed in poetic fashion.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A former New York Times book of the year (for those who care about such accolades), and I'm all for books that focus on creative artists receiving such recognition (if only for the hope of audience spill over). Yes, you'll find all the juicy details about Bacon's at times scandalous private life, all the more so given that Peppiatt was a close friend of Bacon's for thirty years and confided in him to an uncommon (or, perhaps, calculated) degree. But what really puts this book over the top for me is that Peppiatt (a former literary editor for le Monde and arts correspondent for The New York Times and the Financial Times, as well as editor and publisher of Art International) has considerable critical chops and puts them to use throughout this book to analyze Bacon's paintings and technique. Not just a biography, but a brilliant melding of biography and critical study.

[Fran]

A fascinating insight into the excesses and extremes of an artist who embraced both life and painting with enviable energy and dedication. Pepiatt’s close relationship with Bacon enables him to provide a an entertaining account of the characters that amused him between painting sessions, some of whom appear in his work. As an artist I was particularly interested in the way Bacon controlled the information about his work and his personal life throughout his career. Like a formidable press agent he ensured that people only read the information he wanted them to read. I was also impressed by his control over the quality of his output; he frequently rejected paintings he considered not to be resolving themselves. However, he made the mistake of not desroying these works and I was saddened to find out that they were later sold and therfore entered the art market against his will - no artist wants bad work in the public eye.

[Susan]

Often times, when I am on my various museum travels, I will see, in the distance, a haunting image.
Many times, it seems to be a Francis Bacon painting. Because of his time in art history, I am often in galleries which support his work. Yet, I never really knew anything about him. When I look back at my little journal book - I see the note..."study Bacon." Which always strikes me funny...being a vegetarian and all...but never the less...I finally listened to my notes. This edition is suppose to have "untold" stories of Francis - not that I would know the difference, but I find myself finally getting to a point in this biography where I am feeling like I can start to know this artist. His work feels like Ibsen's Hedda when she is forced to scream silently on stage in front of us all, yet to no avail, even in public, these characters seemed forced into silence. Here is hoping for a true lighted way into his darkness...more to follow.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The recent retrospective at Tate Britain got me a bit hooked on Bacon. I picked up this biography randomly and am so glad that I chose this one rather than the range of others which take a more gossipy, scandalous approach to his life. Peppiatt starts of the book by confessing his own near obsession with Bacon and then goes on throughout the book to remain completely professional and genuine. The firm focus of the book is Bacon's art so it helps to either be very familiar with his work or have some kind of visual catalogue on hand.
Peppiatt has created a clear account of a fascinating individual without digressing into personal judgements or gossip-mongering. Instead he respectfully recounts the important incidents in Bacon's life and the strongest aspects of his character and how both are intrinsic to his art.

[Frank Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francis Bacon, self taught artist, somehow rose from utter obscurity to become one the greatest icons of art in the late twentieth century. His meteoric rise, coupled with the extraordinary carnality and brutality of his art, with its screaming popes and anguished, quasi demoniacal, portraits, marks him out as strange and different to any artist that went before him - even considering Goya and his monsters. Congratulations to Mr Peppiatt for exploring and explaining some of the demons and driving forces behind the art, and artist. This must be one of the most intimate, revealing and authoritative biographies of any artist, taking the reader into Bacon's inner circle, and privy to his closest thoughts, both personal and creative.

All I can say is well done. I was held spellbound throughout. I made copious notes and will read the book again.

[Barry Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who's seen a Francis Bacon painting, either in reproduction or in a museum or gallery, has come away intrigued, disturbed, and probably wondering about this person who painted these images, which stick in the mind like no other artist before or since. Whether his popes, crucifixions, portrait studies, heads, or triptychs, his images have a tendency to invade the subconscious and remain there, leaving the viewer to compose strange narratives to explain what they've seen. This revised and updated biography, which contains much information that has come out since the artist's death goes a long way to explaining the life and art of an artist, who tightly controlled the information released about him during his life, probably better than any artist of the 20th century. A book that's as inspiring, revealing, moving, curious, and, yes, as disturbing as the art itself. - BH.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While biographers can't resist psychologizing their subjects in the worst way -- claiming some cause/effect relationship between the artist's life and his work -- this book is worth that nonsense just for the gems that drop out of Bacon's mouth: his analyses of his own work, which come obliquely from his snarky comments on others' lives and works and some moments when he lets his guard down. I compiled a list so I don't have to dig through the chaff for the wheat next time -- maybe biography just isn't my genre, seems so ancillary.

To his credit, Peppiatt clearly did thorough research and the portrait of FB you get seems accurate, triangulated from many sources who actually knew the man.

[Susan]

Often times, in my many museum adventures I am drawn to various haunting figures. Many of these tend to be Francis Bacon's. Some artists follow you more than you follow them. I only know of Bacon because his time period lives among abstract expressionism...and I can't help bump into him while I am visiting Pollock and De Kooning, In my little museum journal, many times you will see "study bacon," which seems funny to me...being a vegetarian and all, but nevertheless I am finally reading a biography on Bacon. I am starting to understand the dark creature whose paintings conjure an Ibsen like Hedda...silently screaming on stage...in front an audience of hundreds, yet silenced still. I wonder what the next 400 pages holds.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think artists stay much closer to their childhood than other people. They remain far more constant to those early sensations. Other people change completely, but artists tend to stay the way they have been from the beginning.
Francis Bacon quoted in Michael Peppiatt, Francis Bacon: An Anatomy of an Enigma (New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1996), 3,

To find yourself you need the greatest possible freedom to drift.
Francis Bacon quoted in Michael Peppiatt, Francis Bacon: An Anatomy of an Enigma (New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1996), 3,

the lugubrious grandeur that characterizes the places where blood flows.
Georges Bataille quoted in Michael Peppiatt, Francis Bacon: An Anatomy of an Enigma (New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1996), 117

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good biography on the painter Francis Bacon, but still my interest in the book is not really on the subject matter, but his life in Soho London during the 50's and 40's. And this book has a lot of great information on places and Gay London life during that time period. When I think of Bacon, I think of location. Although his painting don't have 'locations' he was a man rooted in a time and culture that's fascinating.

I am going back to London shortly, and if I have the time I am going to check out some of the addresses of restraurants, nightclubs, and bars. They don't probably exist anymore, but I like that. I like going to a place that is in a sense 'dead.'

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this after seeing the Tate Britain retrospective. It gives a good overview of Bacon's life, striking a balance between colourful anecdotes and a more serious exploration of the art itself. The book mentions a number of times that Bacon maintained that only a writer of Proust's stature would be able to produce a worthy account of his life. Well, I'm not sure Peppiatt lives up to those impossibly high standards but he has a good stab at the standard biography format. In places I found myself wishing he had taken a few more risks with structure, pace or style; a more creative engagement with Bacon's "enigma".

[V Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read. It goes into great detail about the life and the art of Francis Bacon. I read it on my Kindle so, unfortunately, there were no photos of the art works discussed in the book. However, I just used my tablet to access the images on the internet and that worked fine. Michael Peppiatt give a real sense of Bacon's lifestyle, the places, people and exploits of this artist. Francis himself was not forthcoming about defining his art but Peppiatt give plausible understanding to Bacon's influences. It does, in some places seem to be a bit repetitive but none-the-less I find it a compelling read and one I would recommend.

[Jeff Howells · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be fair I didn't actually know a great deal about Francis Bacon before reading this book other than his rather boozy interview with Melvyn Bragg on the South Bank Show. I was, to be honest, as attracted by reading about Chelsea/Soho of the forties onwards. This is a fairly brisk clip through his life and makes a decent effort of balancing a history of the man as well as the artist. He appeared to have a prodigious appetite for both booze and men (young and old) and many were in his thrall...I think my enjoyment would have increased if I could look at his art at the same time I was reading about them...but that's not the fault of the book. Overall a decent read.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always liked Francis Bacon's work but I didn't know that much about the man behind such great paintings. This was an inspiring, interesting, well written biography about a fascinating artist. His paintings are brilliant but he was every bit as fascinating as the body of work he left behind. Inspiring and interesting. I had to deduct a star for the last chapter which talked more about the not very interesting struggles for power and money over his estate after his death. Even with the somewhat lackluster last chapter this book made me think in different ways about my art and creative endeavors. Bravo! This made my best reads pile.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography of an undoubtedly difficult, dissembling artist.

I read this after reading Daniel Farson's biography (again) and it's certainly the better of the two. Both are rooted in friendship with Bacon, but Peppiatt places far less of himself in the work, unless directly quoting conversation.

Where Farson's take on the story becomes disjointed and meandering, this work seems much more rigorous, providing much to ponder for those with even the most passing interest in one of the last century's most important artists.

Very much recommended.

[Sapetron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. It's really amazing to fantasize about being this man. I keep catching myself pretending that we have things in common, but he actually got to live in berlin pre ww2. he loved seducing straight men, and would get incredibly drunk and stumble over to his studio to paint disturbing and beautiful things completely un-british. sigh. je suis un poseur, je crois.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the moment I am obsessed with Francis Bacon. As with most biographies, parts of his personality and behavior were most likely exaggerated but I enjoyed this book because it balanced discussions regarding his work with information regarding his personal life and social circle. After reading this book I am totally into rough trade. Paint on!

[James Haliburton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and thorough counterpoint to the Tate restrospective; yes, Bacon was mad, bad and dangerous to know but so much more . . . wonderful insights into his transition from drifting misfit to the most thrilling British painter of the 20th century.

[David Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone interested in Francis Bacon's extraordinary life this is a fascinating read. I'm a huge fan of his art and this made for an interesting insight into the man. Well researched and expertly written.