Head I , completed late in 1948 , is considered more successful than Head II . Although it is well @-@ regarded critically , Head II is seen as something of a creative cul @-@ de @-@ sac , while Heads III , IV and V are usually considered as merely intermediate steps towards Head VI . It is exceptional in Bacon 's oeuvre that works of their relative poor quality survive ; he was ruthlessly self @-@ critical and often slashed or abandoned canvasses before they were completed . When pressed again by Brausen in 1953 to produce works for a New York show that she had been publicising for a year , he was full of doubt and destroyed most of what he had been working on , including several other popes .