plate no. 9515

Painting (Head of Man)

Francis Bacon, 1950

oilExpressionismportraitportraitheadfiguredark background

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in expressive brushwork and understanding of value to create form. It also encourages exploration of non-traditional portraiture.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the head and shoulders.
step 02
Establish the darkest areas of the background with a thin wash of black or dark gray.
step 03
Begin blocking in the white areas of the face with bold, visible brushstrokes.
step 04
Use a dry brush technique to create texture and blend edges of the white paint.
step 05
Add subtle variations in value to the face using grays and off-whites to define form.
step 06
Define the eyes and other facial features with small amounts of dark paint.
step 07
Refine the shapes and values of the shoulders and neck.
step 08
Add any final details or adjustments to the composition.

color palette

primary · titanium white · ivory black

secondary · payne's gray · raw umber

Mix different shades of gray by combining black and white in varying proportions. Use raw umber to warm up the grays slightly.

techniques

·dry brush
·scumbling
·value study
·expressive brushwork

common pitfalls

→Over-blending the white areas, losing the expressive brushstrokes.
→Creating muddy colors by overmixing.
→Not establishing a strong value contrast.
→Focusing too much on realistic representation and not enough on expressive mark-making.