The Gilded Gutter Life of Francis Bacon

I come to the Francis Bacon table very late in life. This year, 2009, marks his 100th birthday. I remember the first time I saw a Bacon painting. I was totally shocked. Over the years I have not read about him nor cared. A few months ago I came across the British film, LOVE IS THE DEVIL. Rented it, loved it. Really wanted to get to know this artist. Derek Jacobi IS Francis Bacon. What a performance. You must see it for yourself. A young Daniel Craig plays his lover, George. Also an astonishing performance. That said, I should have read this book before I watched the film. It would have made everything crystal clear for me. The author was a friend of Mr. Bacon over the years and knows where all the bodies are buried, so to speak. There are some nice personal photos of the artist and his friends, boyfriends. And he did have interesting friends and boyfriends! His art still bothers me for the same reasons it bothers others. He is showing us our dark side. The side of ourselves we would rather not see or deal with. I have come to this conclusion after finally admitting to myself that his artwork is genius. There will be a large retrospective here in NYC this year of his work. I shall be attending it, I assure you. I re-watched LOVE IS THE DEVIL last night and, because of this book, it meant so much more to me as I watched it unfold. The author obviously wishes he and Mr. Bacon had been closer in the end, but one of Bacon's men friends informed Mr. Bacon that Mr. Farson was writing this book and it deeply upset him. At one time Bacon had agreed to help Mr. Farson write a book of his life, but then changed his mind. So you can imagine how Mr. Bacon felt when he learned his friend had gone behind his back to a publisher and was writing it anyway. This book is not about his art. It is about the artist. His early childhood will shock you. What his father did to him and had done to him is beyond child abuse. It made Francis Bacon who he became. We really don't know what happens in a person's life that really makes them tick, do we? Mr. Farson opens many doors to Bacon's mind. Some, perhaps, that should have been left closed. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to understand Bacon, his art and his life. It will set you on the right path to learning everything you need to know. I am sure I will be re-reading this book over the years. Buy one before they go out of print or become so expensive you can't afford a copy.