Portrait X

< p >Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Innocent X is a 1953 Expressionist painting by Francis Bacon. It depicts a distorted portrait of the pope, emphasizing anguish and psychological intensity through bold, unsettling brushstrokes and haunting imagery. This work is part of a series of approximately 50 variants Bacon created in the 1950s and early 1960s, reflecting his fascination with the original Velázquez painting and exploring themes of mortality, suffering, and the human condition. The painting’s raw emotion exemplifies Bacon’s innovative approach to portraiture and his influence from Expressionism. < /p >