Lawrence Alloway critiques Robert Melville's interpretation of Francis Bacon's work

Lawrence Alloway's 1960 article challenges Robert Melville's long-standing critical approach to Francis Bacon, which began in 1949. Melville's writings, reprinted in a Marlborough catalogue, depict Bacon's art through a lens of violence and morbidity, comparing it to surrealist films like Un Chien Andalou and literary figures such as Dr. No. Alloway argues that Melville's focus on sadism and diabolism overshadows other aspects of Bacon's work, including his use of motion, references to art history, and technical painterly skills. Bacon's imagery draws from sources like Velásquez's Pope Innocent X, Van Gogh's The Painter on the Road to Tarascon, and a Titian-attributed portrait of Cardinal Filippo Archinto. Alloway notes that Bacon's early works feature blurring and transparency, while newer paintings, such as those from Studies of William Blake's Life-Mask, show crumpled, solid forms. Critics like David Sylvester and Sam Hunter are mentioned, with Hunter's article omitted from the Marlborough bibliography. Bacon's influence is described as limited, primarily noted in Milan. The article originally appeared in Art News and Review on April 9, 1960.