The British painter Francis Bacon (1909–1992) is famed for his idiosyncratic mode of depicting the human figure. Thirty years after his death, his working methods remain underexplored. New research on the Francis Bacon Studio Archive at Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, sheds light on the genesis of his works, namely the photographic source material he collected in his studios, on which he consistently based his paintings. The book brings together the artist’s pictorial springboards for the first time, delineating and interpreting recurring patterns and methods in his preparatory work and adoption of photographic material. In addition, it correctly locates ‘chance’ as a driving force in Bacon’s working method and qualifies the significance of photography for the painter.
German Photo Book Award 23/24, Gold in the category Text Volume Photo Theory
"Katharina Günthers 'Francis Bacon: In the Mirror of Photography' ist ein Dokument bedingungsloser wissenschaftlicher Akribie und Hingabe, das zu Recht mit dem Deutschen Fotobuchpreis in Gold ausgezeichnet wird." (Peter Truschner in: Laudation, Deutscher Fotobuchpreis, 2023/2024, (09.01.2024)
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"Das hier behandelte Verhältnis von Malerei und Fotografie, die Debatte um den möglichen künstlerischen Charakter von Fotografie sowie die akribische Rekonstruktion des künstlerischen Prozesses bei Francis Bacon sind auch für ein breiteres Publikum interessant und werden in diesem Sinne auch stilistisch elegant und gut nachvollziehbar präsentiert." (Laudation, Offermann-Hergarten-Preis, Universität Köln, 2023, https: //phil-fak.uni-koeln.de/forschung/auszeichnungen-und-preise/offermann-hergarten-preis (16.01.2024))Katharina Günther, expert on Modern and Contemporary Art and Photography.
The British painter Francis Bacon (1909-1992) is famed for his idiosyncratic mode of depicting the human figure. Thirty years after his death, his working methods remain underexplored. New research on the Francis Bacon Studio Archive at Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, sheds light on the genesis of his works, namely the photographic source material he collected in his studios, on which he consistently based his paintings. The book brings together the artist's pictorial springboards for the first time, delineating and interpreting recurring patterns and methods in his preparatory work and adoption of photographic material. In addition, it correctly locates 'chance' as a driving force in Bacon's working method and qualifies the significance of photography for the painter.
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