11 September 2008 - 4 January 2009
Explore the exhibition
Room 1: Animal
A philosophical attitude to human nature first emerges in Francis Bacon's works of the 1940s. They reflect his belief that, without God, humans are subject to the same natural urges of violence, lust and fear as any other animal. Bacon showed Figure in a Landscape and Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (on display in Room 4) in April 1945, and exhibited consistently thereafter. The bestial depiction of the human figure was combined with specific references to recent history and especially the devastating events of the Second World War.
Bacon often drew his inspiration from reproductions, acquiring a large collection of books, catalogues and magazines. He repeatedly studied key images in order to probe beneath the surface appearance captured in photographs.
Early concerns that would persist throughout his work include the male nude, which reveals the frailty of the human figure, and the scream or cry that expresses repressed and violent anxieties. These works are among the first in which he sought to balance psychological insights with the physical identity of flesh and paint.
Other works in this room
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Head I 1947-8
Oil and Tempera
1003 x 749 mm
© The Estate of Francis Bacon/DACS 2008
Photo: © 2008 The Metropolitan Museum of Art enlarge 
Figure Study II 1945–6
Oil on canvas
1450 x 1290 mm
© The Estate of Francis Bacon/DACS 2008
Huddersfield Art Gallery enlarge-
Head VI 1949
Oil on canvas
932 x 765 mm
© The Estate of Francis Bacon/DACS 2008
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London enlarge -
Study from the Human Body 1949
Oil on canvas
1470 x 1342 mm
© The Estate of Francis Bacon/DACS 2008
Image courtesy of National Gallery of Victoria, Photographic Services enlarge -
Figure Study I 1945–6
1230 x 1055 mm
© The Estate of Francis Bacon/DACS 2008
courtesy Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Photo: A. Reeve enlarge -
Figure in a Landscape 1945
Oil on canvas
1450 x 1280 mm
© The Estate of Francis Bacon/DACS 2008
Tate enlarge
