Francis Bacon

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Translator's Preface by Daniel W. Smith, along with contributions from Alain Badiou and Barbara Cassin, introduces a deep exploration of painting's essence. The text examines the round area and its analogues, distinguishing between the figure and the figurative, and discusses the three elements of painting: structure, figure, and contour. It addresses misconceptions surrounding painting, religion, and photography, and delves into the movements from structure to figure and vice versa, touching on themes of isolation and abjection. The relationship between man and animal is explored through the zone of indiscernibility, highlighting the connection between flesh and bone. The author reflects on Bacon's artistic periods, the coexistence of movements, and the functions of contour. The discussion extends to sensation, with references to Cezanne and the phenomenological unity of the senses. Hysteria, the body without organs, and the vibrational quality of painting are examined, alongside Bacon's love of life and the rendering of the invisible. The text also explores coupled figures, resonance, and the active versus passive dynamics in art, as well as the significance of triptychs. The analysis of Bacon's work includes the role of diagrams, the relationship between abstract and figurative painting, and the analogical language of Cezanne and Bacon. It concludes with reflections on color, the haptic world, and the interplay of eye an