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Bacon's Exhibition
by Paloma del Álamo (2008-09, 5ºC)
Hardly can I make a review of Bacon's exhibition since I have not liked it. In spite of having viewed it carefully, in spite of having watched and explicative video, and notwithstanding having read Bacon's biography and some explanations of his art on the Internet, I have still not been able to appreciate any beauty in the paintings. And it is beauty that I look for when gazing at a work of art.
You must excuse my not liking them; I lack the proper qualifications to really appreciate modern art, and to understand Bacon's work. No matter how perfect his technique is, or superb his employment of the colour, I only see twisted shapes and grotesque beings, finding it particularly disgusting to set eyes on the open mouths, the contemplation of which takes me back to my childhood nightmares. There is no denying I want teaching about the subject, in order that I can grasp what, not only he, but also other modern painters express with their art.
By all accounts Bacon is certain to be one of the greatest geniuses in 20th century painting, albeit in his beginnings only the specialists in avant – garde art were able to appreciate his pictures. His technique is thought to be as perfect as that of Velazquez or Rembrandt, and, judging by the experts, his employment of the colour is fantastic. However, I have only liked the colours of two paintings: the triptychs - In Memory of George Dyer, 1971 and Inspired by T.S. Eliot's poem "Sweeney Agonistes", 1967.
I do not share his vision of the reality either; nay, I cannot find any reality in his works, let alone a vision of life or man in last century. Were his work to have been less expressionist and a little more realistic, I would have been able to catch some of the feelings he is trying to transmit. In such a case, perhaps he would have succeeded in having a "profound impact directly on my nervous system" as was his desire.
According to the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze, Bacon's figures are those that better represent the 20th century man. I disagree. Belonging to this group of people, I do not feel anyone known by me should be depicted by them.
That I find Bacon's paintings ugly is bound to show my incompetence as far as modern art is concerned. I still prefer Fra Angelico.
(400 words)