Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, from 1944, by Francis Bacon is a triptych that marks the artist's fully mature debut. Three isolated, monstrous and distorted figures emerge against a dark orange background, as if wedged into claustrophobic spaces with no way out. The forms are anthropomorphic but unrecognisable: mouths gaping in silent screams, rigid limbs, convulsed postures. Bacon draws on the Furies of Greek tragedy, symbols of vengeance and guilt, transferring their dark energy into the pictorial language of the 20th century.
The triptych, shown to the public in the post-war period, reflects the existential anguish and brutality that marked the age, stripping the Crucifixion of its traditional meaning of redemption. Instead of offering consolation, the work exposes the viewer to a primordial pain: a humanity reduced to flesh, fragility and scream. It is a contemporary image of trauma and dehumanisation.
Unique quality material
Print on handmade Amalfi paper Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in) With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges Frame: light brown beech wood and wood pulp, handmade
How an Amalfi art print is made, what the frame is like, what museum glass is, how long shipping takes, and how returns work: we’ve gathered all the answers on a single page.
