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BACON (1909-1992)
1944
Oil and pastel on hardboard
each panel 145x128 cm.
(detail)
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Francis Bacon ( Dublin 1909-1992 Madrid ), a self-taught artist.
Most of his paintings have huge dimensions and many are presented in the form of triptych (painting on 3 panels ) . The majority of his paintings are distorted, sombre portraits of men that he knew and who seem to be trembling, isolated and terrified. They suggest the degradation, violence and horror of the human condition. 3 Studies for Figures at the base of crucifixion ( 1944 )
What we have here is a .................. . It depicts three .............. or humanoid forms. They are partly ........................ . Partly because they look like .................... . What animals do you think ? ( eel/ goose/bird/ostrich ? ) Which parts are human ?....................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................... What has happened to the one in the middle ? ..................................................................... ( blindfolded )
( mutilated ) ( windowless ) (confined in...) (Orange-red space ) Where are the figures perched/placed ?
The painter tells us in the title that the figures are at the base of the crucifixion,which we don’t actually see. We also know that the painting was made in 1944. Draw your own conclusion and justify your answer.
What effect does the shade of red in the painting produce ?
Do you think these part-human creatures are waiting for something ? What are they trying to do ?
What is the message of such a painting ?
The sight of the painting may be a shock but as Bacon put it : “ horror is sometimes vitalizing. People are purged into happiness, into a fuller reality of existence “. “3 figures” is then a sort of Vanity dear to the XVIIth century Dutch painters, a meditation on death and life. So it is part of a long tradition but undoubtedly more expressionist in style !
Homework :
Check in the dictionary for the word “Vanité”
......................................................... “ Expressionisme “ |