Shuffle off to Buffalo

Late this morning, we packed a lunch, hopped in the car and drove to Buffalo to see the exhibition Francis Bacon in the 1950s, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. We normally only have an occasional opportunity to see one of Bacon's paintings, and to see such a large group of them is rare indeed. I'll really like the Albright-Knox and have as long as I can recall. They get some fantastic shows traveling through, and they have a permanent collection that I really enjoy.

Traffic was bad most of the way to Buffalo. We decided to cross to the States at Lewiston, which turned out to be a bad idea. It took close to three hours to cross the border. It seemed like the customs people were spending a lot of time with just about everyone. Once we finally got to the customs booth, we got through quickly, but the wait before that seemed never-ending. The fellow at customs saw our cooler and asked us if we were transporting any food across the border...we said no, and he said, "I know, you planned a picnic and ended up eating it all on the bridge. Have a good trip".

The Bacon show was fantastic. His paintings are dark and twisted and intense. From the catalogue, by Michael Peppiatt:"Photographs of Francis Bacon as a very young man show an immaculately dressed youth with neatly parted hair and a fresh round face consumed by the intensity of his wide-set eyes. It is the gaze of a child surprised and fascinated by the mystery of the world. It both penetrates and receives: nothing is taken for granted. Years later, his look remains wide-eyed and astonished, its pure visual energy unclouded. Yet by the time Cecil Beaton photographs Bacon in the late 1950s, a wariness has crept into the eyes. The young man has lost his innocence, but not his wonder. The gaze turns now to the scream of pain and pleasure; the shudder of beast and man; the monkey in the cage; the couple in the grass; the grain of the paint; the blur of a snapshot. Having taken in so much of the world, the eyes harden. Later they will grow old in a young face. The smooth cheeks, the carefully tousled hair will continue to proclaim Bacon's uncanny youth, defying a lifetime of every excess. But like the portrait of Dorian Grey, the eyes will continue to absorb and record.

Here's an overview of the show from the gallery website.

In the short time we had at the Bacon exhibition, I learned quite a bit about Bacon's work, and a thing or two about painting along the way. Very powerful pictures!

There was also a nice little show of photographs on by Ken Heyman, called Pop Portraits. These are photos of some of the pop artists in their heyday. It offered some light relief from the intensity of the Bacon work.

And so now, after the drive, the wait, the gallery, and the drive back, we're both tired out. Good night, all.