Francis Bacon : Commitment and Conflict

by Wieland Schmied

Several years after his death, Francis Bacon's place in the pantheon of twentieth-century art seems more assured than ever. The violent intensity with which Bacon's paintings give expression to the existential angst of his fellow human beings is virtually without parallel in the history of art. The work of this self-styled maverick continues to be profoundly disturbing and to resist classification in conventional categories.
Drawing on a lifetime's experience of studying twentieth-century art, and on his personal encounters with the artist, Wieland Schmied presents a comprehensive portrait of Bacon the painter. Bacon the man is by no means overlooked, but Schmied does not allow details of the artist's private life to deflect him from his central to distil the essence of Bacon's art from a formal analysis of his paintings and from an examination of the creative processes they embody. Bacon's subtle use of space, the fundamental significance of photography in the development of his imagery, his idiosyncratic painting technique, his place in twentieth-century art as a whole, the role of homosexuality and the other autobiographical dimensions to his oeuvre - searching discussion of all these aspects results in a refreshingly independent view of a major artist.

Genres: Art

200 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 1996

Reviews

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the same generation, Dylan Thomas put into prose what Francis Bacon laid waste on canvas. Wieland Schmied's 'Commitment and Conflict' is much more than the usual retrospective of the artists work. Published 2006, this book shows the artist in all his debauched and troubled times. Compare the self portraits of Bacon with that of Albrecht Durer's 'self portrait in a fur coat', and we can see Bacon's conflict. There are lots of examples of the artists work here, as well as photographs of his studio and his friends etc. My fav is the study in oils of Valazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, once again with a figure captured in a frame and another screaming mouth.
For those who are attracted, like me, to the Mr.Angry artists of this world, this is a fine collection and insightful critique of the man trapped inside.
Would have been a five star if the print size was more suitable to my eyesight.

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book on a fascinating figure. Excellent, many color reproductions - the text by turns intriguing and in turns a slog (what I read of it). The author knew the painter quite well, apparently, and is both sympathetic and detached and critical.

[Haruna · Rating 5 out of 5]

always my favorite.

[Kyle Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with terrific images