Francis Bacon Artist Triptych Explained

Francis Bacon's triptych, a series of three paintings, is a significant part of his oeuvre.

The triptych is a unique format that allows Bacon to explore multiple themes and emotions within a single work.

Bacon's triptych, "Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion", was created in 1944.

This triptych is a seminal work that showcases Bacon's ability to convey intense emotions through bold, expressive brushstrokes and vivid colors.

The triptych's central panel features a figure that appears to be screaming, while the side panels depict two other figures in various states of distress.

Each panel is a self-contained work of art, yet they are also interconnected, creating a sense of tension and unease.

Explore further: Bacon Breakfast Cassarole

Francis Bacon was a prolific Irish-born British painter known for his bold and unsettling works.

Bacon's style was heavily influenced by the works of Velázquez and Rembrandt, which he often referenced in his own paintings.

Bacon's use of bold colors and distorted forms created a sense of tension and unease in his works.

He was a master of capturing the human figure in a way that was both raw and unflinching.

Francis Bacon's friendships with fellow artists were a defining aspect of his life and work. He was close to Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach, and Michael Andrews, with whom he shared a deep artistic connection.

The connections between Bacon's practice and those of his friends were explored in the recent exhibition "Friends and Relations" at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London. This exhibition shed light on the ways in which their respective practices influenced one another.

Bacon's portraits of his friends were a notable feature of the exhibition, showcasing the strong bonds he had with these artists. Lucian Freud, in particular, was a frequent subject of Bacon's portraits.

Take a look at this: Wabi Sabi for Artists

Francis Bacon was a close friend and fellow artist of Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach. He was known for his bold and often disturbing paintings that explored the human figure and the emotions that come with it.

Bacon's portraits of his friends, including Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach, were featured in the recent exhibition "Friends and Relations" at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London. These portraits showcased his unique style and his ability to capture the essence of his subjects.

Bacon's friendships with these artists were deep and meaningful, and they had a significant impact on his work. He was part of a tight-knit circle of artists who supported and inspired each other.

The exhibition "Friends and Relations" highlighted the connections between Bacon's practice and those of his friends, including Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach. It was a rare opportunity to see these artists' work together in one place.

The Black Triptychs are a series of three paintings that Bacon created after the death of his lover and model, George Dyer. They are among his best work and are characterized by their monochromatic black backgrounds, which symbolize death or mourning.

Each of the Black Triptychs features a doorway centrally, framed by flat and shallow walls. Dyer is stalked by a broad shadow in each painting, which takes the form of pools of blood or flesh in the first and third panels, and the wings of the angel of death in the second and first.

These paintings are a reflection of Bacon's acute sense of mortality and awareness of the fragility of life, which was heightened by Dyer's death.

For another approach, see: Black Mirror

Famously, Bacon's career began with the 1944 triptych Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, an instant critical and popular success.

He often preoccupied himself with forms, themes, images, and modes of expression that he would rework for sustained periods, often across decades.

Bacon's tendency for sequential paintings was driven by his mindset, where images revealed themselves "in series" to him.

He preferred the triptych format, finding it a more balanced unit, and often saw images suggesting other images, making series his dominant motif.

In the late 40s to the late 50s, Bacon produced works in series of up to 10 works, many of which rank amongst his finest, including his series of Popes, heads, and men in suits.

His 1962 Three Studies for a Crucifixion marked a return to form and has been highly praised by critics and historians as a key turning point in his career.

Bacon's typical practice with triptychs was to begin with the left panel and work across, completing each frame before starting the next.

In 1973, Francis Bacon's life was marked by a sense of mortality and loss. His former lover, George Dyer, had taken his own life just two days before Bacon's retrospective at the Grand Palais.

Bacon's acute sense of mortality was heightened by Dyer's death, and he went on to paint many images of his former lover, including the series of three "Black triptychs". These paintings are so named because they share common black backgrounds, emblematic of death or mourning.

The form of a monochromatically rendered doorway features centrally in all three "Black triptychs". Each triptych is framed by flat and shallow walls, and Dyer is stalked by a broad shadow in each one.

The shadows take the form of pools of blood or flesh in the first and third panels, and the wings of the angel of death in the second and first. As the Tate gallery noted, "What death has not already consumed seeps incontinently out of the figures as their shadows."

Bacon's work from the 1970s has been described by the art critic Hugh Davies as the "frenzied momentum of a struggle against death". Bacon himself admitted that he thought the most difficult aspect of ageing was "losing your friends".

Here's a breakdown of the common characteristics in the "Black triptychs":

Bacon's concern with mortality and loss is reflected in the darkened flesh and background tones of these three triptychs.

Francis Bacon's triptych "Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion" set an auction record for the artist in 2013, selling for £24.7 million.

This sale more than doubled the previous record held by the same triptych, which was sold in 2008 for £17.2 million.

Bacon's triptych was sold at Christie's auction house in London, marking a significant milestone in the artist's market value.

The sale of "Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion" cemented Bacon's status as one of the most valuable modern artists of the 20th century.

A unique perspective: Artist of the Red Cube in Nyc

The triptych's sale price of £24.7 million is equivalent to approximately $31.8 million in US dollars at the time of the sale.

This sale price is a testament to the enduring value and popularity of Bacon's work among art collectors and enthusiasts.

The sale of Bacon's triptych in 2013 marked a new high watermark for the artist's market value, which has continued to appreciate over time.

The triptych's sale price of £24.7 million is a significant increase over the artist's previous record sale price of £17.2 million in 2008.

Check this out: How Does the Artist Use Light in the Image Above?

Francis Bacon's triptychs are a significant part of his oeuvre, and his use of the format began in the early 1960s.

He started working with triptychs in 1962 with his first large triptych, Three Studies for a Crucifixion, which took him two months to complete.

Bacon often completed a major canvas in a day, but this work was an exception, taking him until March to finish. At 194 cm x 145 cm, it is four times the size of his previous triptych.

The standard width of each canvas was extended by 2.5 cm in 1964, and Bacon retained the larger, monumental scale for all triptychs painted in the remaining thirty years of his life.

His triptychs can be categorized into three groupings: 18 showing a dramatic or erotic event, six showing three full-length seated portraits, and four containing single nude figures.

In fact, 36 of his triptychs contain a single nude figure, and 24 contain a single clothed figure. Five show a biomorph, and 4 contain still lives.

Some notable examples of Bacon's triptychs include Three Studies for a Portrait Including Self-Portrait (1967), which measures 78 × 58 inches, and Three Studies for a Portrait (Mick Jagger), 1982, also measuring 78 × 58 inches.

Francis Bacon's use of triptych format began in the early 1960s, where he found it attractive because it physically broke the images and prevented forced narrative interpretation.

Bacon started working on his first large triptych, Three Studies for a Crucifixion, in February 1962, which took him until the following March to complete. It was four times the size of his previous triptych and shared a theme and title with his 1944 work, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion.

Bacon continued to paint large triptychs, often completing a major canvas in a day, and retained the larger scale for the remaining thirty years of his life. He extended the standard width of each canvas by 2.5 cm in 1964.

In 2000, art critic David Sylvester categorized Bacon's large triptychs into three groupings: 18 showing a dramatic or erotic event, six showing three full-length seated portraits, and four containing single nude figures.