Francis Bacon – In the Mirror of Photography: Collecting, Preparatory Practice and Painting

Katharina Günther

Published by De Gruyter 2022

Francis Bacon – In the Mirror of Photography

Collecting, Preparatory Practice and Painting

Katharina Günther

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110720648

Overview
Contents

About this book

The British painter Francis Bacon (1909–1992) is famed for his idiosyncratic mode of depicting the human figure. Thirty years after his death, his working methods remain underexplored. New research on the Francis Bacon Studio Archive at Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, sheds light on the genesis of his works, namely the photographic source material he collected in his studios, on which he consistently based his paintings. The book brings together the artist’s pictorial springboards for the first time, delineating and interpreting recurring patterns and methods in his preparatory work and adoption of photographic material. In addition, it correctly locates ‘chance’ as a driving force in Bacon’s working method and qualifies the significance of photography for the painter.

Author / Editor information

Katharina Günther, expert on Modern and Contemporary Art and Photography.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	1
Table of Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	5
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
2. The Studio – Analysis of the Working Environment Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	48
3. Comparative Analyses – Bacon’s Paintings and their Photographic References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	139
4. Conclusion – ‘A Sponge that Absorbs Everything’ Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	270
5. Appendix Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	283

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Art historians, art scholars
Pages
- Main content: 446
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 107
- Coloured Illustrations: 51
- Tables: 1
Keywords: photography; painting; Francis Bacon; creative process

eBook

Published: May 9, 2022
ISBN: 9783110720648

Hardcover

Published: May 3, 2022
ISBN: 9783110720624