NARRATE OF CREATIVE BODY IN PAINTING

“The Anthropomorphic Cabinet” (1936)by Salvador Dalí.

The Anthropomorphic Cabinet (1936)

by Salvador Dalí

Drawers are placed in various anatomical positions in this figure. The woman seems to be despaired, probably caused by her inner emptiness since the drawers are empty.

Self portrait (1973) by Francis Bacon

Self portrait (1973) 

by Francis Bacon 

There’s a painting here called Self Portrait (from 1973) that I’d never really looked at before. In it Bacon leans on his elbow on the corner of a bare sink. His legs are twisted around one another in some paroxism of boredom, and he paws at his forehead above a screwed up jowly face that is once again doing that turning-back-into-paint thing. Bacon’s only companions are that sink, his bentwood chair, his own reflection, and a bare bulb that hangs above him. His watch reads 10 past 5. It is a truly harrowing picture. There are no hanging carcasses, no mysterious intruders, no fights or embraces, no bloodstains. Just Bacon enduring his own company at the end of an English afternoon, and finding it empty, boring, and loathsome. And in those days even the pubs didn’t open until 5.30

Self-Portrait, 1906 Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973)

Self-Portrait, 1906 Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973)

by Shelley Esaak

Shelley Esaak is a portrait artist, freelance illustrator and graphic designer, writer and educator. Shelley has written the About.com Art History site since 2003. Having worked in most mediums herself, she enjoys spirited discourse with fellow artists and art enthusiasts, maintains that anyone with an open mind can always learn something new and appreciates that readers often provide her with opportunities to do both.