Bernard took several photographs of the artist Francis Bacon in his studio in 1984. The pair met around 1948, and at that point Bacon had established himself as one of the most controversial figures in post-war British art – a status he retained throughout his remaining career. However, this portrait varies from the others Bernard took of Bacon. It is a close-up of just his face (in comparison to those where an importance was also placed on his studio). Cropped across his forehead and chin, the framing accentuates his frank expression and look of knowing intelligence. This recalls what Bernard wrote about him in 1995: “He seemed quite unique to me at twenty – magical – his extraordinary energy and intelligence.”