1. Bio of Francis Bacon
Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), an English philosopher, statesman, and novelist,
was the most prominent person of the 18th Century. His promotion of "active
science" affected the English-speaking world's culture.
In post-war art, Francis Bacon created some of the most famous pictures of
wounded and broken humanity. He created a particular style that made him one
of the most well-recognized thinkers of modern art in the 1940s and 1950s,
strongly attached to Symbolism, cinema, photography, and the Old Masters.
For the most part, Bacon's literary output was completed when he was busy with
governmental issues. His political career began in 1584 when he was elected to
Parliament for the first time. He wanted a place at court early on, and Elizabeth I
appointed him Queen's lawyer, but his ambitions for higher posts, which he
backed up with the Earl of London, were blocked. London staged a Bacon-
composed performance on the Queen's coronation anniversary in 1592. He
outlines his lifetime theme in the speech in honor of knowledge: "Man's
sovereignty is hidden in knowledge... We now rule nature in views but are subject
to her in requirements; nevertheless, if we want to beled by her in innovation, we
must command her in action." Bacon had a strong relationship with Essex and
got numerous favors from him, yet he subsequently assisted in the prosecutionof
Essex for betrayal. While his role in Essex's destiny has been condemned as an
ungrateful betrayal, it has also been justified as a difficult responsibility.
