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- Francis Bacon, Study for a Baboon (1953)
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- James Ensor, Masks Confronting Death (1888)
The concurrent exhibitions in New York of James Ensor at the Museum of Modern Art and Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are a perfect complement. I’d encourage anyone visiting New York to plan their day around seeing both exhibitions in close time proximity so that the rich comparisons between the two painters will most readily emerge. Just as Ensor dismissed the Impressionists as superficial, Bacon dismissed Abstract Expressionism for the same. What results in both cases are two unnerving groups of paintings that reveal some of the horrors of life during their respective times. Many people may be familiar with Ensor’s paintings of masked people, but seeing so many of them together as a group leaves one with a haunted feeling. The skeleton paintings add to this feeling. However, this is not meant to play down the sarcastic humor that is also evident in many of Ensor’s paintings. Overall, the Ensor exhibition provides an excellent survey of the artist’s work. Similarly, the Bacon exhibition is outstanding in the collection on display. The themes selected by the museum were a useful way to organize the show. It was refreshing that the Met chose to focus on the impact that Bacon’s relationships with key men in his life had on his work, since so often in the past museums have chosen to downplay the signifance of love relationships for gay and lesbian artists. Personally, I was left most haunted by Bacon’s paintings of animals that appear more human at times than his human subjects.
Francis Bacon: A Retrospective is up until August 16; James Ensor until September 21.
Cynthia Fowler
