Conclusion
In reflecting on the profound impact of Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, it becomes evident that this triptych not only stands as a cornerstone in Bacon’s oeuvre but also serves as a pivotal influence on his later works. The desire to revisit and reinterpret the themes explored in this seminal piece underscores Bacon’s ongoing engagement with the motifs of trauma, exorcism, and the human condition. Bacon’s decision to produce a near copy of the Three Studies (Figure 7) in 1988, more than four decades after its initial creation, reveals his enduring fascination with the work’s thematic and aesthetic potential. This later version, significantly larger and rendered with a blood-red background in contrast to the original’s orange hue, suggests a deepening of the psychological exploration initiated in 1944. Despite the changes in scale and color, Bacon’s attempt to recapture the original’s visceral impact speaks to his persistent quest to confront and articulate the complexities of trauma.
However, the mixed critical reception of the 1988 triptych, with some commentators suggesting that its more refined technique diluted the raw power of the original, points to the challenges inherent in revisiting and reinterpreting one’s own work. The critic Johnathan Meades notes that “the 1988 version (or near copy) of the great 1944 Crucifixion Triptych is the lesser work: it is slicker, more polished and it evinces a greater ease with paint. But it lacks the terrible rawness of the original. The introduction of more space around each figure renders the composition centripetal. The backgrounds are now elaborated, defined and bereft of the garish, grating poison orange of 1944.”[1] This tension between refinement and rawness, between the desire to revisit and the risk of diminishing impact, illustrates the complex dynamics at play in Bacon’s later career. The 1988 triptych, despite—or perhaps because of—its differences from the original, reinforces the significance of Three Studies as a foundational work that continued to resonate with Bacon and with audiences. It highlights Bacon’s lifelong engagement with the themes of suffering, redemption and suggest a lack of resolution with the issues previously confronted.
In sum, the enduring influence of Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion on Francis Bacon’s later work, and his decision to rework the triptych in 1988, encapsulate his unyielding exploration of the depths of the human psyche. Through this lens, Bacon’s oeuvre emerges not merely as a series of paintings but as a sustained inquiry into the nature of existence, marked by a relentless pursuit of understanding and expression that transcends the boundaries of time and medium.
[1] Meades, “raw, embarrassing, nihilistic.” 1998