The British painter Francis Bacon (1909-1992) is famed for his
idiosyncratic mode of depicting the human figure. Thirty years after his
death, his working methods remain underexplored. New research on the
Francis Bacon Studio Archive at Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, sheds light
on the genesis of his works, namely the photographic source material he
collected in his studios, on which he consistently based his paintings.

The book brings together the artist's pictorial springboards for the
first time, delineating and interpreting recurring patterns and methods
in his preparatory work and adoption of photographic material. In
addition, it correctly locates 'chance' as a driving force in Bacon's
working method and qualifies the significance of photography for the
painter.