Francis Bacon: Revelations | Authors in Conversation

Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan chart the life and art of the formidable Francis Bacon, a towering figure in 20th century art. Through 25 choice images, the duo sketch a more varied, nuanced, and surprising character than typically known of the celebrated bon vivant. The conversation is expanded by art critic, curator, and artist Robert Storr, bringing together three luminaries of contemporary art writing.
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#Documentary #FrancisBacon #HENITalks

[@brianmcmanus4286]

I was lucky enough to be in London in September 2008 (the week of the global financial implosion) and caught Bacon's retrospective at the Tate. I was absolutely leveled by that exhibit. While I was familiar with his work, what I experienced that day elevated him to my favorite artist. Cheers!

[@brannonmcclure6970]

Thanks you two. I have watched all your Bacon stuff. I’ve only become aware of Francis Bacon within the last two years. He would have been someone I would have liked to meet. I’m a painter too.

[@russmeyer100]

I have just seen perhaps the best exhibition of my life at the Royal Academy. It was Francis Bacon: Man and Beast and it was mindblowing in more ways than one and hope to see it again before it closes on April 17. He was an incredible artist and was always looking to explore art in so many ways.

[@TinaSotis]

Thank you for this wonderful content! Please post more videos about other artists! Among many, many others - would love to see Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keefe, Remedios Varo, Giotto...

[@shelley2he844]

I'm currently reading revelations, it's amazing. ❤️

[@muriellowe6698]

A brilliant talk and revelation of an artist I got to appreciate more and I will remember those teeth !!

[@danfruits9248]

This video is wonderful - thank you for making it available!

[@R.Kinney1492]

49:43; "The whole grand Guignol aspect of Bacon. That sense of a lurid melodrama, was really anathema in this country..."

[@straiph]

Iconic, complex & above all inspiring

[@sayakmitra]

Respected Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan, this is the most comprehensive explanation of Bacon's acceptance in the U.S. I've observed that general intellectuals (except fews like David Lynch, Christopher Nolan and some others) and art lovers do not like Bacon's work where in Indian (where I am from) and European LOVE Bacon's work! Mainly in the West Coast of U.S. people prefer either decorative-style eye soothing pop art (David Hockney, Jonas Wood style) or biomorphic pure abstract (not de kooning but Pollock) - Bacon was absolutely against of both genre in contemporary art. I would like touch upon something that Mr. Storr brought which is the triptych style of iconography. Triptych iconography is not only common in Christian but also it is very common in Vedic iconography such as - Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshwara. I personally think Bacon's triptych came from his spiritual consciousness.

[@classiccomedycinemaprogram1640]

I first encountered Francis Bacon's work when I went for a weekend to Paris in the mid 90s. I went to see the outside of Pompidou Centre and was amazed to find a large exhibition of his works on the inside. Now, of course, we have the awesome mess that was his studio in my home town of Dublin... a giant fetish object if there ever was one (his studio not Dublin😊). There is a looped documentary playing there were he says the sole object of his work is to 'shock'... job done.

[@mirandac8712]

I was there too :)

[@fizywig]

When I look at Bacon s paintings, The phrase from WB Yeats comes to mind , “ A Terrible Beauty”

[@balkandepot]

Great Mr Storr to mention grotesque and English / British caricature tradition. 👌

[@primitiveonpurpose]

Superb researchers and educators. Interesting format. BRAVO!

[@HENITalks]

Many thanks! Stay turned for more insights.

[@quocly6622]

Thank you for this!

[@forlornboy1]

That´s really great. Thank you.

[@constancewalsh3646]

Bacon's images defy words. S & S are brilliant observers, with depth, but in those moments or hours of contemplating a work by Francis Bacon, be still and feel -- if you can, if you dare.

[@FIowersInTheGarden]

Surrounded by his own mind, in the same conserving his viscerality. Blood, guts, pernicious humans... The art of the real, tragic art, art of life. Long live to Francis Bacon! He painted us - as we really are - in blood and madness.

[@Johnconno]

If you say so...

[@ferdinandvogel1770]

Amazing ! Thank you so much !

[@johnlofts]

The reason authors write about the soho/dark Bacon is because it’s generally more interesting and sells more books. Having said that I thought ‘Revelations’ was wonderful and so much I didn’t know came out in the book! And I have read all the biographies. This is the most rounded and complete yet.

[@chineainguanzo6341]

Bacon was daring ,all great master's or most ,played Russian roulette with their career.as an artist myself , I work very hard on letting the canvas show me the paths.bacon let go ,totally , he dared to dared .love his work !

[@destructiveeyeofdemi]

Thank you, what a wonderfully enthusiastic commentary.

[@flashkaput]

I enjoyed this conversation but wish they talked more about Bacon's relationship w/photography & its influence upon his painting. I just bought a tattered copy of Van Deren Coke's "The Painter and The Photograph" and Bacon's featured in it for those interested. This aside - I'm looking forward to reading "Revelations"

[@harryblitzstein]

Beautifully presented. Thank you!

[@brandonhicks5459]

Love this !

[@robinanicol1961]

Brilliant! Thank you ... can I have some more, please

[@HENITalks]

More to come! Stay tuned :)

[@ArtHistorywithAlder]

Great content, thank you!

[@uuubeut]

Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban PC (/ˈbeɪkən/; 22 January 1561 - 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam,

[@KajiCarson]

I'm reading their biography now, highly recommended book. Bacon was sizzling!

[@99thehighstreet69]

These two are all ya need.passion.

[@paulvallance4347]

Lovely informative video.

[@soulpriest1866]

One of my favorites....

[@monsom2712]

Thank YOU!

[@paillette2010]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 thank you!

[@cinereus3601]

Thank you

[@gogogaga3974]

INCREDIBLE CONTENT. MORE 👏👏👏👏👏💗

[@dansmith4984]

I was just about to write top quality content 😁😎

[@ArtHistorywithAlder]

Yes 👆

[@jordangroff8978]

Great vid. I think Bacons best work came between the mid 1960's - mid 1970's, 👌.

[@sophiafake-virus2456]

First pic was a mom with bacon on the side

[@brannonmcclure6970]

Figurative work is something I’ve been studying…I would like to find some dynamic with it.

[@alanchriston6806]

A Great book , on a genius.😊

[@debhurd8898]

Francis's Mom was quite beautiful.

[@nedanother9382]

An odd comment at 17:12 that George Dyer was "good at sitting for a portrait"...it was my understanding that Bacon hated the idea of a live model. George's head was superimposed on a body or pose often from recognizable Muybridge images or photo's (of George or whoever) found in the studio. I've only seen 1 photo of him with a brush at a canvas. I'm not so sure theres many if any that have seen him work.

[@sophiefly4258]

👌❤️

[@timbruner8056]

Clive Barker's horror paintings seem to be influenced by Bacon.

[@killer-kane]

I love a bit of bacon.

[@Greybuiltracing]

Now i have two favorites , Dali and bacon. Imagine a collaboration ???

[@rogerbarnard9409]

No thank you.

[@reinarforeman6518]

Strange combination of favorites

[@blipblip88]

Great biography and wonderful commentary. Thanks!

[@BrianHutzellMusic]

2:56 Sounds like Warhol trying to erase his early success as a commercial artist from the record.

[@reinarforeman6518]

I've never heard of Warhol trying to hide his commercial past. 🤔

[@Mrrossj01]

Did Peter Lacey throw Bacon through an upper floor window to a paved ground below? Fact?

[@stewartmac9568]

Don’t think Peter Lacey was a willing convert to being gay?Bacon could be very heavy with the put down and possible bully but not a weak man an certainly prone to masochism.The French House public house in Soho where i sometimes drank was full of moody inebriated characters and where grasping and snobbish.So I wouldn’t be surprised if Peter Lacey was strong enough to tip him out a window?Dont think he matched the strength of Bacon.Maybe angry if Bacon jeered at him? Thanks Mac.2021.

[@zosephkimn]

36:00

[@petercusack2192]

I disagree with the assessment on drawing. Bacon held everything for the canvas. The studies were the photo references. The paintings captured the energy of finding. Often his titles indicate this. “ A Study for Three….”

[@monsom2712]

hearing impaired have no chance, no CC for this video

[@HENITalks]

Thank you very much for commenting, and for your interest in our videos. The option for closed caption subtitles has now been made available on this film. The captions can be switched on by clicking the icon on the bottom right corner of the video.

[@xyzllii]

I enjoyed the first part of this but not the 2nd. de Kooning, a misogynist harbouring violence against women had not an ounce of the sensitivity and intelligence of Bacon. And this was nothing to do with class. Just different souls.

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

Nice comment. Everything to do with "sensitivity" and "intelligence". As all the best things in life are. Nice to break away from societal class structures. A true artist can't have anything to do with such things. I once met Francis Bacon in South Kensington. We went for a coffee together. Very extraordinary. I then wrote a poem about him, called, The limb of the tree. Best wishes, Noel

[@rogerbarnard9409]

I think if you take the time to look at de Kooning's work, you'll see that he was lacking neither sensitivity nor intelligence. Bacon is interesting, but greatly overrated.

[@suhasshilker4162]

Bacon later became a slave of the "look" he had perfected in his paintings. They look contrived. Whereas Kooning does not appear to be enslaved by style..

[@reinarforeman6518]

Yeah, Bacon was obsessed with constantly making perfect work. DeKooning wasn't afraid to really suck in his later years, very brave ❤

[@georgeviau4558]

...(can't help it this)...BACON, MOTHER EGGS AND FATHER POTATOES...LOL..

[@georgeviau4558]

...violet is is a cold dead pool...OF BLOOD...

[@georgeviau4558]

...THE BULL...is frozen behide the wall...OF TRUTH...obvious but obscured ...

[@georgeviau4558]

...everybody loves bacon!!!...

[@charles6762]

How can anyone compare De Kooning and Bacon ? De Kooning was one of the reasons that art in America and the academy ended in the gutter of nonsense and promotion at the hands of gallery and critics that have only a talent for commerce. Francis Bacon was and is one of the twentieth centuries greatest artists . Although it is difficult to extract the art from the personal life when one seeks to describe or interpret a work Bacon's work stands alone without the need to explain in terms of personal ,social,or sexual experience. De Kooning's place in the pantheon of art is an example of critics need to justify their existence at the expense of art. The very notion that de Kooning's works speak to the human condition as inspirational or as a comment on the meaning and suffering of life is laughable in the face of Bacon's works. One was a great artist and the other a fraud they knew who was who and so do you.

[@skylarkportraitstudio]

Drivel.

[@elainescott6791]

that’s your opinion

[@reinarforeman6518]

@@elainescott6791 and a great one at that ❤

[@xmaseveeve5259]

What?? This dauber??? I thought it was about the real one.

[@bm4114]

Poytrait

[@drobbi]

Getting past the existential corniness of Bacon's paintings is difficult for people today. But the corniness is also true of us -- that we would find the horror of existence corny -- and as part of our nature, it becomes its own kind of horror, Stephen King-ish perhaps but horror even so.

[@reinarforeman6518]

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone say that Bacon paintings are corny.

[@MontyCantsin5]

What on earth are you waffling on about? Existentialism is 'corny'? What does that even mean?

[@xmaseveeve5259]

No, I don't see 2 women.

[@nathanmeier1818]

"Poitraits?"

[@johnllewlyndavies222]

Hideous alcoholic but quite a good cartoonist.