Bacon, Francis (1909-1992), was an important British artist. Many of Bacon’s paintings portray deformed and tormented figures isolated in desolate interiors. One series of paintings shows people screaming in hysteria. Some of his works are derived from traditional art, such as Study After Velazquez: Portrait of Pope Innocent X. Other subjects are related to newspaper and magazine photographs of current events. Bacon also painted portraits of his friends and of himself. Many works are grouped in sets of three images called triptychs, presenting different aspects of the same experience.
Bacon was born on Oct. 28, 1909, in Dublin, Ireland. He had almost no formal education. He died on April 28, 1992.
