This is Francis Bacon’s Self Portrait from 1975. The first thing i noticed when i looked at the work were the circles placed at the sides of his jaw, the curved lines shaping the rest of his head drew my attention up to his large oval eyes and even bigger triangular nose, of which made me notice the large distortion below his nose on his upper lip. I noticed the circles first, which reminded me of gas masks, because of how abstract it looked, i feel it made him seem empty or missing something. The background is a dark blue/black while the majority of his face shares a light complexion ranging from whites to browns to reds. Francis bacon started focusing on self portraits in the 1970′s due to a tragedy in 1971 where his best friend died of a drug and alcohol overdose and therefore started painting himself as he said “people have been dying around me like flies and I’ve had nobody else to paint.” I feel that the bright colours portray his personality while hes in a dark place in his life, hence the darkened background, which works to cause him, being the focal point, to stand out more. Elements of geometric shapes can be clearly seen on the face with ovals and circles used to outline the head, circle objects on the mouth, and eyes, and a triangular form in the nose and distorted lip. All of these shapes have been curved in order to make the lines more fluid and easy to follow, maybe even make the focal point aesthetically pleasing. My interpretation of the work is that the artist is clearly depressed and this work could be a cry for help, especially considering what was happening in the time of the artists life. When i look at this painting i honestly feel empathy towards Francis Bacon, as he seems lonely, even despairing. Even so i till feel the not the subject matter to be unappealing, but instead the attractiveness of the piece. I don’t think the circles on the face look aesthetically pleasing in anyway, they look like a deformity or like a built in gas mask, or maybe that’s what the artist wants to say, maybe he hates the way he looks. I think this work could convey the effect of isolation, loneliness and even depression, and maybe that can help others empathize towards this artist to help people not feel as lonely.
