Francis Bacon and creativity

Francis Bacon (1909-1992) was an English painter best known for his contributions to abstract art. Wikipedia says,

"Focusing on the human form, [Bacon's] subjects included crucifixions, portraits of popes, self-portraits, and portraits of close friends, with abstracted figures sometimes isolated in geometrical structures." (Wikipedia: Francis Bacon, 8.19.21 UTC 13:23)

The rest of this post is come quotes from Bacon.

Creativity

"The feeling of desperation and unhappiness are more useful to an artist than the feeling of contentment, because desperation and unhappiness stretch your whole sensibility." (Art-quotes.com)

"The creative process is a cocktail of instinct, skill, culture and a highly creative feverishness. It is not like a drug; it is a particular state when everything happens very quickly, a mixture of consciousness and unconsciousness." (Art-quotes.com)

Painting

"In my case all painting... is an accident. I foresee it and yet I hardly ever carry it out as I foresee it. It transforms itself by the actual paint. I don't in fact know very often what the paint will do, and it does many things which are very much better than I could make it do." (Art-quotes.com)