STUDY FOR A PORTRAIT OF JOHN EDWARDS, 1986

  • Study for a Portrait of John Edwards, 1986, Francis Bacon
    Study for a Portrait of John Edwards, 1986
    Lithograph in colours on Arches paper, edition of 150, 60.5 X 45.0cm 
    ©The Estate of Francis Bacon 
    Study for a Portrait of John Edwards (1986) is one of Francis Bacon’s most serene and reflective late portraits, capturing the artist’s long-time friend, confidant, and heir. Edwards, a working-class Londoner from the East End, became Bacon’s closest companion after years of personal loss and emotional turbulence. Their friendship brought a rare calm to Bacon’s later life, and that sense of ease is evident in this portrait.
     
    Here, Bacon presents Edwards seated within a simplified, almost weightless space, the kind of sparse, geometric setting that defines his late period. The figure is rendered with Bacon’s trademark distortion, yet there is warmth in the treatment: soft outlines, a gentle palette, and a striking sense of balance. Unlike the anguish seen in earlier portraits of lovers such as George Dyer, this work conveys stability and trust.
     
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  • I’m just trying to make images as accurately as possible off my nervous system as I can.

     - Francis Bacon
    Study for a Portrait of John Edwards (1986) is characterised by a cool, restrained palette of greens and blues, a deliberate shift from the fiery reds and searing oranges that defined much of Bacon’s earlier work. These subdued tones create an atmosphere of calm introspection, softening the intensity without diminishing the psychological depth.
    The use of blue and green lends the composition a sense of stillness, suggesting both emotional distance and quiet stability. Where Bacon’s earlier portraits often vibrate with tension and violence, this work feels composed, reflective, and almost tender. The colours work in harmony with the simplified space, giving the portrait an air of clarity and balance.