–Every time I look in the mirror, death is lurking there.–
point
Life is, in a sense, boring; the question is how to make it great.
A person becomes interesting only when they are fully absorbed in something.
Works of art appear cruel because reality is cruel.
Francis Bacon. 1909–1992. British painter.
David Sylvester. 1924–2001. British curator and art critic.
This book compiles interviews with Francis Bacon, one of the most representative British painters of the 20th century. It's highly recommended for artists who want to understand Bacon's creative process. It also contains life lessons, so it's a must-read for anyone interested in art.
During his lifetime, Bacon's works were praised by critics and others for drawing inspiration from high art artists such as Velázquez, Van Gogh, Muybridge, and Eisenstein. However, after his death, the relocation and restoration of his studio revealed that he also drew inspiration from low art, such as sports magazines and occult books.
This book reveals that what Bacon tried to express through his paintings was a brutally raw reality. With the advent of photography, reality could be captured more objectively, leading painters to pursue a more subjective reality. Bacon was one of them, and many of his works use images of human mouths, pieces of beef, and other things that make people want to look away. Intense visual imagery is a characteristic of his work. He said, "Being liked is like a death sentence. I'd rather be hated." My favorite is his work on Pope Innocent X. He uses intense motifs such as the Pope's cry, the Pope and beef, and then adds seemingly meaningless arrows and cubes, and the more you look at it, the more you are drawn in.
When he hit a creative block, he would drink alcohol and try painting while intoxicated, or collect dust from the corners of his room and smear it on his paintings. He would consciously start with the initial composition, but the story of how he finished his paintings by surrendering to the chances of each day is fascinating. It shows that Bacon disliked rest and lived a voracious life in order to enjoy life to the fullest.
While the first few pages feature color photographs, black and white images are abundant throughout each chapter. The book also includes quoted photographs of Muybridge, making it a valuable resource.
"excerpt"
- Only by moving away from feelings of complete denial and letting go can one finally begin to draw.
The only thing a painter should do is to liberate completion through imagery.
Placing two different images side by side can yield insightful results.
"They all eat meat, yet they complain that bullfighting is cruel. They wear furs and bird feathers on their heads, and yet they all criticize bullfighting."
Heart-pounding despair
Animals and Boxers
Steal whatever you can.
A picture that fully opens the valve of your emotions
If you want to become a painter, you must be determined not to be afraid of being ridiculed.
Find a theme that you can be truly passionate about.
Thank you for reading.
Well then, goodbye. Take care :)
Author: David Sylvester Translator: Hitoshi Kobayashi Paperback: 308 pages Publisher: Chikuma Gakugei Bunko
First reading completed on 2018/07/14
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