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Article: Was Francis Bacon serious?(Essay)
- Article from:
- The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide
- Article date:
- September 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Gay & Lesbian Review, 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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FRANCIS BACON'S LIPS don't lie; they scream their truths with bared teeth. His male bodies are hot, steaming chunks of meat that make Mickey Rourke's portrayal in The Wrestler look like Adonis. These male bodies are on the meat rack of life and express Bacon's take on the gay condition as taken directly from the wretched depths of his personal experiences. That said, there is no social sacred cow that Bacon is afraid to slaughter in his portrayals of the human condition.
Bacon's long-awaited centenary retrospective--he was born in 1909--arrived last May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, fresh from its triumph at London's Tate Gallery. The exhibit ...