Origins & Early Life

Francis Bacon (28 October 1909 – 28 April 1992) was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his raw, unsettling imagery. Focusing on the human form, his subjects included crucifixions, portraits of popes, self-portraits, and portraits of close friends, with abstracted figures sometimes isolated in geometrical structures. He said that he saw images "in series", and his work, which numbers in the region of 590 extant paintings along with many others he destroyed, typically focused on a single subject for sustained periods, often in triptych or diptych formats. His output can be broadly described as sequences or variations on single motifs; including the 1930s Picasso-influenced bio-morphs and Furies, the 1940s male heads isolated in rooms or geometric structures, the 1950s "screaming popes", the mid-to-late-1950s animals and lone figures, the early-1960s crucifixions, the mid-to-late-1960s portraits of friends, the 1970s self-portraits, and the cooler, more technical 1980s paintings.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Bacon did not begin to seriously focus on painting until his late twenties, having drifted in the late 1920s and early 1930s as an interior decorator, bon vivant and gambler. He said that his artistic...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Ann-Margret — Shared historical date (04-28 · Born) (1941): Swedish-American actress, dancer, and singer with a seven-decade career.
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