France is headless by Lee Ellis
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: acrylic & spray paint on paper
Dimensions: 60 x 60 cm
Year: 2022
Status: available
"France is headless" emerged from a playful misinterpretation that spiraled into a deeper exploration of identity and perception. The notion of "Knowledge is power - France is Bacon" sparked my curiosity about how easily meanings shift and transform. This piece captures Francis Bacon, yet not in the way you might expect. I began with a charcoal drawing, which I screen printed to create a foundation of 22 images. Each one became a canvas for unique exploration. Here, I've layered acrylic and spray paint, infusing the portrait with rich purples and deep shadows, creating a haunting yet contemplative presence. The arrows and halo scribbled around the head suggest vulnerability and sanctity, a duality that fascinates me. Through this work, I invite viewers to ponder the fluidity of meaning and identity. I hope it provokes a moment of reflection on how we interpret the world and the figures within it. My intention is for you to leave with a sense of curiosity, questioning what else might be hidden beneath the surface of familiar narratives.
Why collect this work?
A large, isolated face nearly fills the square field, yet arrows, a tilted halo and looping lines deny it the coherence of a conventional portrait. The work makes identity appear both emphatic and open to revision.
- Ellis’s profile describes a practice spanning painting, drawing and printmaking. That crossover matters here because graphic outlines and painterly shadows pull the same face between emblem and individual likeness.
- In the photograph, dark hair and eye sockets weigh against the pale ground, while white rings sharpen the gaze. Scribbled cheeks and an improvised collar puncture the portrait’s severity with uneasy comedy.
- The catalogue records acrylic and spray paint on paper. Ellis reports adapting a charcoal drawing through screen-printed foundations; here, layered marks make a repeatable image appear provisional and altered.
- Ellis identifies the sitter as Francis Bacon and traces the title to a misheard phrase. The work belongs in discussions of portraiture shaped by faulty language, where recognition depends as much on naming as resemblance.
About the Artist
Lee Ellis
Lee Ellis is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: painting. Based in Bristol, United Kingdom.
Nationality: British
Themes I explore within my work are depression and addiction, how they affect people and the ways in which they are masked through 'bright' colours...
