Man at a Washbasin . c. 1954
Bacon’s raw images contort their subjects in such a radical manner that they permanently altered the genre of figurative painting in the twentieth century. Yet even while the figures twist and writhe in distortion, there remains a distinct sense of truth in his work. As Milan Kundera noted, “Looking at Bacon’s portraits, I am amazed that, despite their ‘distortion’, they all look like their subject…. However ‘distorted’, these portraits are faithful. That is what I find miraculous.”
Milan Kundera
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