Francis Bacon
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Individual Artists
Francis Bacon Details
Language Notes Text: English (translation) Original Language: French Read more
Reviews
Although this particular book was released in 1983, it is a massive survey (146 reproductions) of the artist's output up to that time, beautifully produced and handsomely displayed. As another reviewer has pointed out, the text by Michael Leiris seems to be over-written and is probably not for everyone. It is written in the somewhat overly convoluted style of Alain Robbe-Grillet and this may have been the prevailing French style of that moment. Or perhaps it is an attempt to create in language the convolutions of the paintings. Or maybe, it is simply an inappropriate translation. Who can say?However, with all due respect to the late Mr. Lieris, the text should not count in one's decision to purchase (or not) this book. Books about the paintings of Francis Bacon should be judged by the paintings, the layout, the faithfulness of the color reproductions, etc., not the artspeak of explanations. For the most part, you will want to look more than read. (And as the prices of these books climb and climb, one must grab the good books while still available at a reasonable price. I recently found a 1960's book on the subject which included about 7 black and white reproductions of paintings Bacon had destroyed. The price at the St. Mark's book store was $450. As far as I know, it is still there.)The art of Francis Bacon speaks for itself. For those interested in the subject, this book is a great, if a little overwhelming, start. Highly recommended are the following: Francis Bacon by Dawn Ades and Andrew Forge (a slightly different size with many of the same reproductions plus a few newer ones), and Bacon edited by Rudy Chiappini (an extremely definitive larger size book currently at a very high price).