Francis Bacon’s “Screaming” Pope

Diego Velazquez Pope Innocent X 1650. Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pop Innocent X 1953 © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved.The main focus of the painting deals with a Pope on a chair. Facial expressions are solemn with the look of a terrifying shriek. There are two lines of bright gold that go across the painting and bleeding lines run down  the paper.

The entire piece comes off as a disturbing perception of horror that represents the Pope/Church.

The colors and techniques used to evoke a sense of disruption convey themes of corruption in the Catholic church. this is a successful piece because it properly conveys a clear message through effective art technique while embodying intriguing perspectives.

 

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