Soundscape: Key frame

Soundscape: Key frame

I happened to pick folder 11 out of the bunch of folded papers (well it was really the last one left) and was presented with this early Francis Bacon piece. Francis Bacon is well known for his unique raw and gritty style of painting usually consisting of distorted figures and expressive use of colour.

Francis Bacon: Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944

My first impression of the piece was that it had a highly disturbing and eerie look to it and was one that was not easy to understand at first glance, or even second glance for that matter.

Alien - 'Chestburster' scene

After further analysis on the picture I began to see subtle sexual undertones in the figures and  unmitigated resemblances with sexual organs. I later found out that the piece was in fact inspiration for the 'Chestburster' scene in 'Alien' which is acclaimed to have this sexual symbolism throughout the film, glorifying sexual dominance and the subservience to it.

The overall mood I get from the piece is very sophisticated because the figures; yet so smooth and curvy have a loud hostility to them because of the mouth and sharp teeth, however it is contrasted with the mellow orange background which is made slightly eerie through the patched and distorted style of painting Bacon used