Outrageous: Defending the art of free expression

This essay makes a critical defence of free expression through the spirit of outrageousness. Drawing upon the ideas of Oscar Wilde, along with artists such as Frida Kahlo, Francis Bacon, Gilbert and George and Jake and Dinos Chapman, it looks beyond the current attempts to reduce the question of freedom to quintessential liberal tropes. In doing so, the paper both offers a critique of the moral absolutism that’s taken over certain sectors of the so-called ‘radical left’, while demanding more political appreciation for creatives and those with the abilities to reimagine the human subject. Such a critique not only suggests the need to rethink the meaning for freedom beyond the play of libertarians, but it also calls forth a new political subjectivity who appears timely and yet timeless – the much maligned and theoretically ignored figure of the infidel, who allows us to break free from moral entrapments.

Francis Bacon (1909-1992)

Francis Bacon painted pictures based mostly on photographs published in encyclopaedias, popular magazines, the tabloid press, posters and packaging. He was interested in reproductions of paintings by great masters. He used photographs by Muybridge. Photographs, treated by Bacon as tools, were later “worked on” by the artist, becoming the canvas for his paintings. The scenes he chose – often drastic, depicting rape and violence – were painted into his canvases, creating a deformed image of the world that “emerged” from the horrors of both world wars. He painted portraits based on his photographs of friends. These were usually people with whom the artist was emotionally connected. He painted self-portraits base on a series of photographs taken in automatic photography, from which he selected several to form the basis of his paintings. Real things and persons should exist in the fictional space assigned to them. By destroying literalism in painting, Bacon wanted to find the similarity desired in painting as its principal, so to rediscover realism. When painting a portrait, he tried to capture the appearance of the figure. After Francis Bacon’s death, his London studio (7, Reece Mews), restored by conservators, was “repeated” in the space of the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin. It contains about 7,500 objects, among them numerous photographs which had been torn up by the artist, photographs of his lovers and friends, black and white reproductions. The Bacon ‘archive’ collected in Dublin is now a silent hint of the creative process of the artist, who despite numerous studies devoted to him and recorded conversations, still remains one of the most inscrutable artists of the 20th century.

UM LEGADO POLÍTICO DA MODERNIDADE CIENTÍFICA: DO ANIMAL RACIONAL ARISTOTÉLICO AO HOMEM-MÁQUINA HOBBESIANO

O presente artigo tem por finalidade apresentar como a filosofia natural e política de Thomas Hobbes entende o homem e o cidadão no registro do mecanicismo moderno. Partindo de considerações gerais sobre o pensamento científico na modernidade, o trabalho busca mostrar também como Hobbes criticou a tradição aristotélica da filosofia medieval defendendo um caráter convencional das ciências e da política. No registro de uma modernidade heliocêntrica que racionaliza os mitos e as fábulas da antiguidade clássica para fundamentar o pensamento científico da época, o artigo busca apresentar como os fundamentos da crítica hobbesiana à natureza política do homem passa tanto por uma ressignificação das obras de Aristóteles quanto por uma moderna racionalização dos mitos inaugurada por Francis Bacon. Nesse registro, o trabalho visa fomentar o debate sobre como o legado mecanicista da filosofia moderna parece ser ainda um dos grandes desafios a serem superados pelo pensamento filosófico contemporâneo.

BACON PURO EMPIRISTA: CONSIDERAÇÕES ACERCA DA INTERPRETAÇÃO DE KARL POPPER

A presente pesquisa objetiva discutir a leitura de Karl Popper sobre os escritos de Francis Bacon no que concerne ao método científico. Popper afirma que Bacon é um puro empirista, na medida em que o filósofo inglês sugere a indução como método seguro à ciência, e concebe as teorias científicas a partir da observação direta da natureza, ou seja, a partir da experiência. Mas será mesmo que Bacon pode ser considerado um puro empirista como afirma Popper? Na tentativa de responder a esta questão, apresentar-se-á leituras de comentadores de Bacon para que se possa contrapor às ideias de Popper. Nossa hipótese é de que a interpretação de Popper é válida, uma vez que se baseia em preceitos lógicos, porém acreditamos que sua análise desconsidera partes das obras de Bacon que fundamentam a interpretação de que este não pode ser considerado um puro empirista.

Resimde Duygu ve Gerilimin Çekiciliği Francis Bacon (1909-1992)

Francis Bacon was born in Dublin in 1909 to an English family. The artist rejected the literary field and perceived his painting directly as an act of expressionism. The period he lived in and the effect he had on it was reflected in his paintings as horrifying images emerged in them. The figures in his paintings were distorted, trapped in a strong motion, caught in a vortex or storm. The audience subjected to the emotional tension of the figures were subjected to intense emotions. The aim of this study, which was conducted by qualitative research method, is on Francis Bacon who, even though did not receive academic art education, managed to have a strong emotional effect on the audience with his expressionist art. Keywords: Francis Bacon, Figurative Painting, Expression in Painting, Motion and Art.

Old Dogma, New Tricks

This chapter studies the relationship between traditional Christian beliefs and the structure of modern science. The significance of key doctrines—such as monotheism, creation, the fall, the atonement—to the scientific revolution is analyzed, with the perhaps surprising result being that Christianity provided fertile ground for what we would recognize as “modern” science to develop. The writings of Francis Bacon, René Descartes, Isaac Newton, Johannes Kepler, and more are considered through a theological lens and their religious beliefs are shown to be foundational for their scientific work. Several living scientists are also found making the same points, and it is concluded that much of what we now call the “scientific method” owes its underlying philosophy to the core beliefs of the medieval (and even early) Church.

‘For the Sciences Migrate, Just Like People’: The Case of Botanical Knowledge in the Early Modern Iberian Empires

In his writings, Francis Bacon emphasized the interrelatedness between the migration of people and knowledge, arguing that Europeans of his time had surpassed the greatest civilizations because of their ability to traverse the world freely. Concentrating on Spanish observers who investigated New Spain’s flora, this article bridges theory and practice by examining the Iberian roots of Bacon’s views. The article examines scientific approaches for acquiring bioknowledge by Iberians who specialized in European medicine, including Francisco Hernández, Juan de Cárdenas and Francisco Ximénez. While the article recognizes the contribution of travellers and expatriates to Spain’s bioprospecting project, it also points to the ways in which the limitations of the transfer of botanical information was acknowledged, and discusses its meaning. By presenting the complexities in the communication of knowledge, I argue, naturalists in the colonies could highlight their unique vantage point in relation to “armchair” specialists in the metropole.

Organización interna y orientación filosófica en la biblioteca de Hernando Colón

En este artículo se examina un proyecto de gran interés para la organización del conocimiento como lo fue la biblioteca creada por Hernando Colón en el siglo XVI. Por sus recursos, por su extensión y por su capacidad de expandirse revela características inusuales en su tiempo, anticipando en gran medida nuestros actuales sistemas documentales. Presentamos primeramente sus repertorios bibliográficos como un conjunto de catálogos interconectados y a partir de esto consideramos una base filosófica que nos ayuda a encontrar un sentido y una orientación general para entender el verdadero alcance de la empresa hernandina. Relacionamos la organización bibliotecaria de Hernando Colón con Erasmo, Raimundo Llull y sobre todo con la visión del universo de Nicolás de Cusa, pero también con la cartografía tardomedieval; y finalmente se destaca aquí la importancia histórica de este proyecto que nos sitúa en el origen mismo de la actividad documental, vinculándolo por ello con Paul Otlet y buscando un nexo común que permita unir a ambos con el pensamiento utópico de Francis Bacon.

Using Georges Bataille in Art History: Informe, Figuration and Politics

<p>The theories of the French intellectual Georges Bataille have had a significant influence on much recent arts practice and criticism. Bataille’s later work (c.1937–1962), however, is often overlooked in cultural practice and theory. In this later period his thought becomes richer; no less transgressive, no less excessive, and indubitably more philosophical. This thesis will argue the importance of using the chronological range of Bataille’s writing. In particular, it will redress the critical neglect in art history of his later work. The selective use of Bataille’s early work, especially the informe, in the American art history of Rosalind Krauss will be critiqued. The thesis will deploy concepts developed extensively in two late works, Inner Experience and The Accursed Share, to discuss the practice of two visual artists that do not figure in the type of methodology that Krauss adopts; the Anglo-Irish painter Francis Bacon and the Swiss installation artist Thomas Hirschhorn. Inner Experience, a work revolving around the theme of ‘limit-experience’, will be the catalyst in an analysis of the works of Francis Bacon. This thesis will demonstrate that although Bacon was an avowed atheist, he ventures to capture a sacred and impossible moment in his painting that parallels the “movement of contestation” in “inner experience.” The conception of economy developed in The Accursed Share derives from the germ of Bataille’s economic theory, first outlined in the 1933 essay “The Notion of Expenditure.” Thomas Hirschhorn’s practice and his desire to “work politically” will be examined from the perspective of Bataillean expenditure and the notion of general economy.</p>