Francis Bacon: Commitment and Conflict

Francis Bacon is given a piercing re-examination through critical commentary, brilliant reproductions, and private photographs in this beautifully produced flexi edition. The existential anxiety of modern man, the inescapability of death, and the catastrophe of loneliness are some of the themes that we revisited time and again in Francis Bacon's work. In this comprehensive study of one of the twentieth century's most passionately committed artists, Wieland Schmied offers a thoughtful overview of Bacon's life, analyses his paintings, and examines the creative processes they embody. He explores in depth Bacon's subtle use of space, the development of his imagery, idiosyncratic painting technique, and place in the pantheon of twentieth-century artists. The author was a close friend and confidante of the artist. This book includes many private photographs of Bacon in his studio.