Study after the Portrait of Pope Innocent X (Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X) by Francis Bacon, painted in 1953, is one of the most iconic works of 20th-century art and an obsessive reinterpretation of Diego Velázquez's famous Baroque portrait. Bacon does not seek to recreate the image of the pope faithfully, but to unmask its most fragile and tormented dimension. The figure is trapped in a transparent, cage-like structure, a recurring device in Bacon's work that emphasises psychological isolation.
The face is distorted in a desperate scream, a symbol of existential anguish and powerlessness. The purple of the papal robe and the contrasts of light create a theatrical, unsettling atmosphere. More than a religious portrait, the work is a reflection on the vulnerability of power and on human suffering. Bacon returned to this subject many times, making the “Screaming Pope” a modern icon of the human condition.
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.
