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Article: Francis Bacon: His Life and Violent Times.
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- December 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"One's basic nature is totally without hope, and yet one's nervous system is made out of optimistic stuff," Francis Bacon told David Sylvester in the early '70s.[1] Bacon died of asthma in spring 1992 at the age of 82, after a life so prodigal that only a high degree of optimism - and no doubt some sturdy genes - could account for his longevity. The artist also worked assiduously, starting at six or seven o'clock most mornings, he asserted, in spite of the hangovers that were the aftermath of his late-night carousals with the luminaries and drifters of his milieu. "What is called inspiration," said Bacon, "only comes from regular work."[2] This combination of profligacy ...