Figure Study II
About this artwork
The coat motif in this early painting by Bacon is similar to its predecessor, Figure Study I. Here though; we see a deformed, screaming figure emerging from underneath. When Figure I and II were first shown in London, they were known as Study for the Human Figure at the Cross II and The Magdalene. Bacon used the Crucifixion frequently in his early work because of its powerfully emotive language and imagery. The gaping mouth of the screaming figure in the painting is the first image of personal anguish to appear in Bacon’s work.
Updated before 2020
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artist:
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title:Figure Study II
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date created:1945 - 1946
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:145.00 x 129.00 cm; Framed: 164.00 x 148.20 x 8.00 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Lent by Huddersfield Art Gallery, Kirklees Council (Presented by the Contemporary Art Society to Bagshaw Museum, Batley)
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accession number:GML 2040
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gallery:
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Bacon was born in Dublin to English parents and in the late 1920s spent time in Berlin and Paris before settling in London. It was only after seeing an exhibition of Picasso's work in Paris that he decided to become a painter. Self-taught, he gained some success as a designer of furniture and rugs...