I was sorry to miss the recent retrospectives of Francis Bacon’s work at Milan and London. I’ve only ever seen Bacon originals in the Tate Gallery’s permanent collection.

Despite my limited knowledge about the full body of his work, he’s a figure I’ve always been intrigued by.  I think it is  the unflinching way he confronts the darker side of humanity which I find so fascinating. Being a miserablist at heart I can relate to his unsentimental view of life as consisting of  “a mere spasm of consciousness between two voids”.

Bacon was an atheist, homosexual, drinker, drifter and gambler. He was also one of the greatest artists of the 20th century who achieved everything on his own terms. Continue reading →