Francis Bacon at the Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art advertisement for their exhibit, 'Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective' refers to Bacon as, "one of the most compelling painters of the twentieth century". 130 of the deceast Irish born / English bred artist's works are currently on display. The collection spans his entire career. I enjoy seeing the different stages an artist goes through en route to discovering his own personal style so it should be interesting. But was this artist really, "one of the most compelling painters of the twentieth century" or simply just another eccentric gifted artist?

Like so many painters he began his career in the fabulous world of interior design. His drinking buddies were writers, artists and photographers. An intelligent eccentric drawn to intelligent eccentrics. His was very popular in his day. Even former Prime Minister of England Margaret Thatcher knew his name or maybe not -- she simply referred to him as, "that man who paints those dreadful pictures". The images Bacon chose to paint came from a very dark mind. A mind that once claimed to have had a sexual interest in his father and sought the companionship of wealthy men in order to pay his bills. He even went so far as to advertise his charms offering himself up to the highest bidder as, 'a gentleman's companion'. His unsavory efforts paid off. In 1929 he found both a lover and patron in Eric Hall.

I say all of this not to belittle the man's talent but I think we should stop and consider the state of mind which birthed the horrific images which now sell in the millions. The moral compass of this man was bent, twisted or perhaps even broken. Like so many other artists who have struggled with morality Bacon returned time and time again to events surrounding the Crucifixion of Christ. One would think that the images of our Savior's death would have made him bow down but instead he used even the holiest of holies to promote himself. He claimed the image helped him examine human behavior. But, I believe deep down he was struggling with his lack of morality. Perhaps reducing this image of complete and total self sacrifice to creatures writhing on an orange background made it seem less compelling to him. The Met's advertisement for this event should have been worded more carefully. The event runs from May 20, 2009 – August 16, 2009.