Francis Bacon

World of Art

by John Russell

Based on conversations with Bacon that extended over several years, John Russell's original study revealed much about the man and the artist. On Bacon's death in 1992, the unique vision and accomplishment of one of the greatest artists of the century could be appreciated in their totality. In a new final chapter, Russell does just that, as well as discussing Bacon's late work, Bacon's intentions and his achievements, both frequently misunderstood, are here set in perspective.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Biography Memoir, Biography

208 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1971

About the author

John Russell CBE (22 January 1919 – 23 August 2008) was an English art critic and journalist.

He started his career at the Tate Gallery in 1940, but moved to the country after the gallery was bombed during World War II.

He worked in Naval Intelligence for the Admiralty where he met author Ian Fleming, who helped to secure Russell a reviewing position at The Sunday Times in 1950.
Russell was chief art critic at the New York Times from 1982 to 1990.


Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[G tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bacon works in such intensity without a safety net,he said "accidents have to be in your favour" this says it all...............
He degrades the human figure to the point of absolute beauty. He puts Rembrant to shame.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francis Bacon was such an interesting painter. His reasons for why he panted in the style he did is odd and fascinating. I can see why people whose faces he painted are not flattered; but they should be. Bacon sees through the face and painted their existence; their souls. To Bacon deformity is not being deformed, it’s being normal. I love that about Bacon. After reading this book I wish I knew the guy. I think I would have found him extremely interesting to chat with.

"There is an area of the nevous system to which the texture of paint communcates more violently than anything else."
Bacon

[Mohsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is how a biography should be written. The writer is incredible. He moved the book from a biography into a simple beautiful story.
Yet I have to admit that the style of writing is very odd for a normal reader, yet interesting nonetheless.

However for the casual "studier" of Francis Bacon who simply needs to know the facts, the book proves to be very poetic when it, frankly, doesn't need to be.

However, very interesting. And if you are remotely interested in this icon of contemporary art I recommend it.

[J K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful look at the philosophy behind Francis Bacon's work. This complemented the film 'Love is the Devil', in filling in a few gaps. Russell's book is strangely coy about much of Bacon's private life, but is a good overview into his drives and attitudes that aids in reading his paintings. A lot of pictures in black and white, sadly, but no reproduction in an A5 size book is going to be able to replicate the effect of a full sized Bacon triptych.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An authoritative work on the work of Francis Bacon, with lots of information about his biography and themes in his work. Much of the commentary is based on interviews the author had with the painter. While there are reproductions of many of Bacon’s paintings, my main complaint about the book is that only about 25% of them are in color.

Acquired Feb 7, 2004
Attic Books, London, Ontario

[Kamakana · Rating 3 out of 5]

idea for art texts: make them interactive- on computer tablets etc!- so that the reader has immediate recourse to seeing the work referred to, by the artists, by the influences, rather than sometimes separated by many pages or lost in memory. and larger, easily expanded on screens. and, please, more in color reproductions.

[Robert Bagnall · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's something godlike about Frankie B, don't you think? John Russell certainly seems to think so, waxing lyrical about Bacon's genius, finding a positive about his every artistic decision, even the ones you and I find baffling. Bacon moves in mysterious ways, and if we can't understand, then you need to spend some serious penance time in art church thinking about what you've done.

Actually, no. There is no god. Dreadful things happen because nobody's steering the boat, and Bacon's art is unrelentingly awful, he simply can't paint, and it doesn't matter how many long words or psychological excuses you use. Open your eyes, JR, and smell the oils.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I've always been more interested in what is called "behaviour" and "life" than in art. If my pictures come off, it is because of a chance conjunction between actual living and art. Painting makes me more aware of behaviour, and it is easier for me to say what I want to say about behaviour with the methods of art than it is for me to say them in conversation." (98)

[Genevieve]

Ryan Werner

[Sarbajit Ghosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, with beautiful tory telling and a great study of Bacon's Art

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not care for this author’s writing. Just absolutely droll.

[Kevin Svartvit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work strikes a great balance between almost equal parts biographical information, technical analysis of painting and researh & interpretation of his thematics. The perspective of the author throughout Bacon's life enables him to draw some interesting comparisons and bring forth opinions Bacon had, on artists for example, that are not always covered in other sources. Most intersting to me were his relation to early photography and the role of the spectator in his work.

'Bacon is alone in having taken from photography nothing but the initial stance: the readiness to accept a deformed or inplausible image as true. He has given back to photography its involuntary, uncalculated status.'

'Bacon has a horror of moralizing in any form, and above all of moralizing in art; the camera, here, stands for the faculty of impartial observation. It sees all, and comments on nothing.'