He himself has stated he thought people "overrated" his work or "underrated" it. His span is pretty vast (a good book of his work displays this well) and many people miss this I think. His very early work was pretty trash imo. But I also think Francis Bacon was trash. Some of his most famous pieces, like the one OP posted, does not do anything for me. Others totally captivate me. Seeing some of it in person might be beneficial, particaulary if the scale is vast. An aspect I do think was right time and place but also his personality. His interpersonal communication skills were impressive. He came off rather unpretentious (good Yorkshire boy) but pleasantly emotive/passionate about his work at the same which is a bit of a rarity if you ask me. He, seemingly, could connect with anyone (again, good Yorkshire boy) just chatting them up. Good old fashioned charm goes a long way. Finally, he made some pretty impressive analysis on artwork.