Francis Bacon,Study of the Bull

Francis Bacon was a self-taught painter, who was inspired by Picasso with his work and his career ran parallel to Picassos. Francis Bacon's painting often reflected the same themes and styles of the Picasso. Bacon traveled in the 1950s and 1960s, where he spent time in different places like southern France, Spain and Monaco. Through his travel around the world he became obsessed with bullfighting. Francis Bacon obsession with bullfighting and his admiration for Picasso influenced his many themes of paintings on bullfighting’s. The latest painting in his career is the Study of a Bull, 1991. The bull is a symbol of male virility. During this time his bull paintings became an image of a beast with loss of the brute strength. He became weak during his last work from pneumonia and so his painting reflected that. The bull in the Study of a Bull, seems to be emerging from a black rectangle towards the light. However, the bull is also disappearing into the white. This painting correlates to the bullfights as the animal emerges from the darkness or the bulls holding pen into the light of the massive area where the bullfighter is waiting. The painting is not clear as if the bull was trying to enter or escape the ring, but this could have been him expressing that he was aware he was dying.