Piet Mondrian And Francis Bacon Paintings

By Darren Hartley


Marking the transition from the Hague school and Symbolism to Neo-Impressionism and Cubism at the start of the 20th century are the Piet Mondrian paintings. Composed of the most fundamental aspects of line and color, they represented the universal and dynamic pulse of life.

A unique style, termed neo-plasticism by Piet himself was the design for Piet Mondrian paintings. This style was not based on outside artistic influences or typical techniques, rather, it is an interpretation of deeply felt philosophical beliefs of theosophy and anthroposophy. Theosophy is a religious mysticism which sought to help humanity achieve perfection. Anthroposophy, on the other hand, held the notion that the spiritual world was directly accessible through the development of the inner self.

Through the provision of aesthetic beauty and breaking away from a representational form of painting, Piet Mondrian paintings were aimed at helping humanity. Starting as representational paintings, Piet Mondrian paintings evolved first into cubism, then into pure abstraction and non-representation. Eventually, the post-WWI war atmosphere of Paris allowed them to develop pure creative freedom.

Among Francis Bacon paintings, Crucifixion proved to be the first truly original work, although it was clearly indebted to the biomorphs of Picasso. This small spectral painting was followed by the successful Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion in 1944. A painting that riveted the attention of both public and critics, it left a lasting and disquieting impression on its viewers, with its hot orange background and stone-colored monsters of vaguely human descent.

An assemblage of meat carcasses and a mutilated, almost headless man beneath an umbrella is included among the Francis Bacon paintings. Francis started painting on the unprimed side of the canvas, said to be the wrong side, by 1948. The technique proved to be totally attuned to his temperature. Francis decided to stick to the technique from then on till the end of his life.

There are a number of Francis Bacon paintings that stood apart in exhibitions. A prime example would be Head VI, a 1949 creation. Featuring a sensuous purple cape, it was actually a variation on Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X. With obsessive integrity, Francis mined the theme throughout the succeeding decade. This dependency on other artists' work was expressed in the form of reproductions. Rather than limiting Francis, it actually encouraged him to take on extravagant licensing in his art.




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