JAMES WALSH is moved by an exhibition of graphic art that relates horrors that would be much less immediate in other media
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Bringing home the Bacon
RINA ARYA confronts the brutal operation of Francis Bacon’s approach to portraiture
(L) Three Studies of Isabel Rawsthorne 1967; (R) Self-Portrait 1973 by Francis Bacon
RON JACOBS welcomes the translation into English of an angry cry from the place they call the periphery
GUILLERMO THOMAS recommends a useful book aimed at informing activists with local examples of solidarity in action around the world
HENRY BELL is provoked by a book that looks toward, but does not fully explore the question of who gets to imagine the shapes of cities to come
MATTHEW HAWKINS surveys the upcoming programme of contemporary dance in Glasgow, and picks some highlights
‘Chance encounters are what keep us going,’ says novelist Haruki Murakami. In Amy, a chance encounter gives fresh perspective to memories of angst, hedonism and a charismatic teenage rebel.
IN our age of digitally retouched selfies, Francis Bacon’s portraits come as a monumental shock. The faces in his paintings, which dissolve at every turn, are chilling, as a major show at the National Portrait Gallery demonstrates.
Visitors to Francis Bacon: Human Presence are greeted by his studies of papal figures and men in suits. In these works, Bacon encased his figures in the suggestions of boxes, which are known as “space-frames.” He also deployed a painting technique known as “shuttering” in which he added a series of vertical lines to the portrait.
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