Motif
Bacon studio material, John Deakin, George Dyer in Soho, c.1964. Collection: Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane. Photo © John Deakin Archive Source Clipping © The Estate of Francis Bacon
Motif may be used to refer to the subject of an artwork. It may also refer to a recurring feature, theme, or pattern, which appears in an artwork, or in an artist’s cumulative body of work.