23 November, 2016

FRANCIS BACON. FROM PICASSO TO VELÁZQUEZ

Nov23

FRANCIS BACON. FROM PICASSO TO VELÁZQUEZ

A few days ago I have visited the exhibition, ” Francis Bacon. From Picasso to Velázquez” at Bilbao Guggenheim Museum. The figure and work of Francis Bacon always in controversy, dark, difficult to understand in so many aspects, suddenly have turned to me into more accesible, even tangibles after watching the exhibition. I have discovered one more human Francis Bacon, less tormented because of his own demons, one Francis Bacon extremely sensible to the art of our most universal masters Picasso or Velázquez. The exhibition is especially foccused on the incidence of these ones in his work, since Bacon discovered Picasso´s work at Rosenberg Galerie in Paris at 1927, being this moment the beginning of his dedication to art, put together with his admiration for Velázquez work, especially the portrait of Pope Inocencio X, of whom he would do multiple interpretations, and from whom he once said that having the opportunity of comtemplating live and direct at one of his journeys to Rome, he confessed not daring to do it because he felt scary of not being at the same level. I don´t want to leave to outstand the great influence of other painters such us Zurbarán, El Greco and Goya. The sobriety and rigour of these great ones also left a deep step in the author. Francis Bacon used to reject what he himself called isolationist british caracter, declaring himself confessed francophone, not only in reference to literature because he was an avid lecturer of Racine, Balzac, Baudelaire, Proust, among others, but also at the pictorial sense due to he admired, Manet, Degas, Gauguin, Seurat, Matisse, Van Gogh. Along this extraordinary journey, I have enjoyed, observing, comparing, making conjectures, imagining how so different sources have nurtured so ripped images, dark ones, bold ones, many of them disfigured that constitute the prolific art of Francis Bacon. And I arrive to the conclusion that Tradition and Modernity apparently separated in time, are always the perfect binomial.

Francis Bacon

At the gallery are together the art of Francis Bacon and the art of his masters

Study for selfportrait

Studio in London

Situated at number 7 of Reece Mews in London, he used to say about it that was like an “ordered chaos”. With this expression, he made reference, not only to his studio but also to his vision of painting ” I just can paint here, in my studio. I have had many others but I´ ve been here for almost thirty years and this is ideal for me. I can´t work in so ordered places. It turns easier painting in a place like this, which is make a mess. I don´t know why but it helps me. ” Francis Bacon