Study After Velázques Portrait Of Pope Innocent X (1953)

Question 1

Colour

Answer 1

Bacon uses contrasting colours. He uses yellow in the chair against the purple of the clothing. This makes the painting visually striking at first glance.

Question 2

Colour

Answer 2

The use of a lot of overpowering, strong blacks in the background of the painting creates an unwelcoming atmosphere.

Question 3

Line

Answer 3

Bacon uses scratched, rough lines in his painting mainly in the background which gives an aggressive feel to the painting.

Question 4

Line

Answer 4

Backn uses contrasting lines. The yellow lines of the chair are solid, which contrasts against the scratched background lines. This makes the chair stand out from the background.

Question 5

Tone

Answer 5

The background has a wide variety of tone. Bacon uses built-up lines of various tones to create a sense of depth in the background. Overall, the piece has a low-key tone. Bacon uses dark, overpowering blacks for the majority of the painting, which strengthens the intense atmosphere.

Question 6

Texture

Answer 6

Overall, bacon’s painting is highly textured. There are very few areas that are smoothed out, such as the chair, which gives the piece a grungy feel.

Question 7

Texture

Answer 7

Bacon creates a wrinkled texture in the figures clothing. He does this by using lines of varied tone. This adds more realism to the figure, which draws the viewers’ attention to it.

Question 8

Shape and/or form

Answer 8

The shapes that make up the figure in the painting are often left unfinished. Bacon leaves parts of the figures robe unpainted, which gives the piece a rushed feeling.

Question 9

Shape and/of form

Answer 9

Bacon creates rounded form in the figure by using curved contour lines around the arms, shoulders, and legs of their robe. This form contrasts the flat backdrop, making the figure stand out as a focal point.

Question 10

Pattern

Answer 10

Bacon creates an irregular pattern throughout the painting. His linear streaks of paint are repeated all around the figure, giving the piece a sense of rhythm.

Question 11

Pattern

Answer 11

Bacon contrasts the straight, vertical pattern in the background with a slightly curved diagonal pattern in the foreground. This helps create a sense of depth between the foreground and background.

Question 12

Composition

Answer 12

Bacon uses leading lines in the painting. The lines in the background, foreground and chair all point towards the figure which draws the viewers attention to them as a focal point

Question 13

Composition

Answer 13

Bacon has used the rule of thirds. The figures head is placed on the top left intersection of the rule of thirds. This makes the figures face a focal point.

Question 14

Media handling/techniques

Answer 14

Bacon uses a dry brush technique. He uses a dry brush when applying the streaks of black in the background, which adds texture to them, making them seem rougher and more aggressive looking.

Question 15

Media handling/techniques

Answer 15

Overall, the application of the paint in bacons piece is very messy. His marks are sometimes overlapping, and parts seem unfinished. This adds to the expressive, chaotic feel of the painting.

Question 16

Mood and atmosphere

Answer 16

The expression on the figures face makes it seem as through they are screaming which creates an aggressive atmosphere to the painting.

Question 17

Scale

Answer 17

At 153 x 118cm, Bacon’s painting is rather large. The large scale of the painting would make the oppressive atmosphere of the painting a lot moee intense when viewed at a large scale.

Question 18

Scale

Answer 18

The oversized robes of the figure and extended lines of the chair make them seem larger then they would naturally be. This makes the figure seem more intimidating to the viewer.

Question 19

Scale

Answer 19

His painting has element of surrealism. The figure being a purple colour and the unnatural expression of their face makes the painting seem unrealistic, almost as though it is a nightmare.

Question 20

Scale

Answer 20

Bacon’s painting is reminiscent of baroque style paintings by Diego Valazquez but Bacon puts an expressive twist on the style to contrast the usually controlled baroque style.

Question 21

Subject matter/imagery

Answer 21

The expression on the figures face makes it seem as though they are screaming, which creates an aggressive atmosphere to the painting.

Question 22

Subject matter/imagery

Answer 22

Bacon has included the figure sitting on what seems to be a golden throne. The chair is oversized, yellow and has ornate detail at the top. This gives the sense that this religious figure is important and has a high status.