- Hardcover: 216 pages
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd (4 Nov 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0500092664
- ISBN-13: 978-0500092668
- Product Dimensions: 29.8 x 24.5 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,312,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
From distorted self-images to brutal portrayals of friends and fellow artists, the portraits of Francis Bacon account for one of the most remarkable aspects of the work of the British painter. This work looks at his stylistic distortions of classicism and his famous deformations. Milan Kundera provides an introduction explaining his personal response to Bacon's work, exploring the paradox that lies in the faithfulness of the distorted images, and linking Bacon's genius with that of Samuel Beckett, both working at the outer limits of their art. France Borel's essay sets Bacon's works in the context of his life and influences and explains his approach to portraiture.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb collection of Bacon's work revealing his techniques.,
By roger@chinahand.freeserve.co.uk (Wiltshire, England.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bacon: Portraits and Self-portraits (Hardcover)
I have been a fan of his ever since I first saw his work. My interest over the years has been sustained by seeing his work in galleries, the large numbers of books, his TV interview with Melvin Bragg, the biographical 'Guilded gutter life...' and the most recent film. I have a good selection of books about Francis Bacon but this is in my opinion one of the best because the superb photographs of his work reveal clearly the techniques Bacon used to lay down colour. If I had to get rid of all but one of the books I have about painting and artists this is the one I would keep. The beauty and sensitivity of his portraits is revealed, their sensitivity is indicated by their juxtaposition to photographs of the subjects and his superb control of paint is shown. I cannot recommend this book too highly.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Bacon: Portraits and Self Portraits,
This review is from: Bacon: Portraits and Self-portraits (Hardcover)
i took a risk buying this expensive book because as an artist, i am interested in how artists work and i read more than one review praising the photographs as showing Bacon's techniques. From this point of view it was a great disappointment. The large close-ups were out of focus and badly lit: [compare them with a substantially cheaper book published by the Tate Gallery : The Impact of Modern Paints] They were not proper close ups but appeared to be enlarged portions of photographs of the full size canvases. They reveal little of the quality of the paint surface or the sequential processes of bacon's application of paint.
There is no discussion in the text of bacon's specific influences, his source materials, his tools, what kind of paint he used or his working practices. The texts like the texts in many art books are literary and interpretive: in both essay authors seem to me to be more interested in expressing their own emotional and romantic responses in poetic prose, rather than giving the reader any insight of the artworks and how they were made. i realise that not everyone wants to know how artists make work and who are repelled by too much technical information and are happy to be led in their appreciation by others. But for those of us who experience the WORK of art it is difficult to find books well photographed and written by those who have a real understanding of the difficulties of making paintings and the achievements of artists who, through superb technique and handling of materials can evoke powerful emotional responses in the viewer. I shall be more careful buying books on the strength of reviews.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Face Off,
By Grady Harp - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Bacon: Portraits and Self-portraits (Hardcover)
Francis Bacon jolted the art world in a way that is only now, some nine years after his death, being fully appreciated. During the final years of his bizarre life he achieved fame and museum acceptance and the accompanying high figure prices for his canvases. And of course soon after his death there was the usual debate about whether he was a painter or a one note song. This beautifully presented volume seems to dispell the latter, as here is documentation of all the head-only portraits Bacon painted of his friends and of himself. His usual "brutal vision" seems less forced when the paintings are accompanied by photogrphs of the models: some of Bacon's friends were fairly distorted before his brush hit the canvas! This book allows the reader to examine a narrow part of Bacon's output and in doing so focuses keenly on his view of the world, his pallete and his technique. Very fine essays by Milan Kundera and France Borel enhance this sensitive tribute to one of the more important 20th Century figurative painters.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wanted this book for years!,
By Shade "Shaded Shopper" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Bacon: Portraits and Self-portraits (Hardcover)
I have wanted this book for years. It's now out of print and has become a collector's item. I thought it was out of my reach to ever own. I found this pristine copy here, missing only the dust cover, otherwise perfect. As a painter myself, it was a book I wanted, to study Bacon's style and composition. I'm so glad I have it.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bacon's portraits,
By David Iacovazzi - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Bacon: Portraits and Self-portraits (Hardcover)
If you want great reproductions of Bacon's portraits and self portraits in a nice format (11.8 x 9.6 x 1 inches), that's the one! there's more than 200 plates that covers is life, plus a few folds, and upclose details all in colors and finally two essays (by Milan Kundera and France Borel). Great buy!
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