Lying Figure with Hypodermic Syringe

Francis Bacon's Lying Figure with Hypodermic Syringe (1968) is an oil-on-canvas artwork that exemplifies his intense exploration of Expressionism. Depicting his close friend Henrietta Moraes in a reclining, vulnerable pose, the painting captures a raw, visceral sense of human fragility and existential anguish. Part of a series featuring collapsed figures on beds, this work builds upon Bacon's earlier triptych Lying Figure. The unsettling imagery and distorted figure evoke the emotional intensity typical of Genre painting traditions, while reflecting Bacon's fascination with the psychological depths of his subjects. It is widely regarded as the more successful of the two versions.