Figure Study II, painted between 1945 and 1946, is one of Bacon's first fundamental works after his mature debut. The work portrays a twisted, huddled and distorted human figure, its mouth gaping in a silent scream: it is perhaps the first image of personal anguish that the artist brought to canvas. The body seems imprisoned beneath a coat or garment, a shell that both protects and constrains, while overlaying the human with almost bestial features, fusing anatomy and disintegration.
The human being seems violated in its very physicality: strangled limbs, twisting flesh, a face in the grip of pain. The picture works on the idea of vulnerability, pain and alienation, and powerfully anticipates many of Bacon's thematic obsessions: fear, suffering, fractured identity. The space is anonymous and claustrophobic, heightening the impression that the figure cannot escape its own inner horror.
Unique quality material
Print on handmade Amalfi paper Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in) With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges Frame: light brown beech wood and wood pulp, handmade
How an Amalfi art print is made, what the frame is like, what museum glass is, how long shipping takes, and how returns work: we’ve gathered all the answers on a single page.
