Lithograph, 1989

Edition : 126/180

Publisher : Galerie Lelong (Paris)

Printer : Galerie Lelong (Paris)

Catalog : Sabatier 25

68.00 cm. x 50.00 cm. | 26.77 in. x 19.69 in. (image)

103.00 cm. x 81.00 cm. | 40.55 in. x 31.89 in. (frame)

This original lithograph from 1987 is inspired by the central panel of a triptych painted the same year by Francis Bacon (1909-1992). This triptych is kept in a private collection and is therefore little seen and known.
Here, as is often the case in his work, Bacon depicts a fragmented male body, of which only the bare, muscular legs are visible.
The artist has placed the representation of the human being at the centre of his work. A particular representation, made up of distortions and fragmentations, thus reflecting Bacon's conception of the fragile and tragic fate of humanity. What Bacon wants to achieve through these representations is to reach the essential, to go to the heart of the human being, into his flesh.
The organic aspect is important, hence this representation, which is a kind of exposure. Bacon pulls aside the curtain and goes beyond appearances. For him, who was a great portraitist, it is not a question of disrespecting human representation, it is a question of going beyond physical resemblance, which in the end does not say much about the essential.
In addition to the legs, we see a flow of blood, perhaps, from which it is not clear where it comes. And that is not the important thing. What Bacon paints through this red flow is both injury and vitality; blood as a source of life. A few splashes of red paint reinforce the gushing aspect.
The base on which the foot rests is strange, perhaps a staircase that this pair of legs would climb, a theme already explored by the artist.
This motif is inscribed in a pale blue rectangle, very soft, like a spring sky.
The rectangle stands out against an orange and beige background. The beige space has a rounded shape as if to suggest a circular space, like a circus ring, a sort of metaphor for the representation of life.
The orange colour, whose strength is perfectly rendered by the lithographic ink, recalls the warm colour of blood. It attracts attention with its brightness and energy. All is not lost in Bacon's world, quite the contrary.

Certificate of authenticity
Very good condition
Handsigned by the artist in pencil

Ref : LCD5286