Here, Bacon is depicted on the rooftop of his studio in London above the River Thames. Seeking inspiration from his sitter’s expressionist style, Beard employs a long exposure to capture the motion blur of Bacon’s head turning, which in turn results in the obscuring of the artist’s facial features. Many of Bacon’s portraits of Beard also distort the artist’s face and are set against backdrops that are often bare. During their friendship Francis Bacon painted nine major portraits of Peter Beard.
Here, Bacon is depicted on the rooftop of his studio in London above the River Thames. Seeking inspiration from his sitter’s expressionist style, Beard employs a long exposure to capture the motion blur of Bacon’s head turning, which in turn results in the obscuring of the artist’s facial features. Many of Bacon’s portraits of Beard also distort the artist’s face and are set against backdrops that are often bare. During their friendship Francis Bacon painted nine major portraits of Peter Beard.