Prints in Concrete (3)- Francis Bacon: Second Version of Triptych 1944

Prints in Concrete- Francis Bacon- Second Version of Triptych 1944 -(1988)



Looking at works of art and the profound effects they had on me. The analysis will not be geared intensely towards the works themselves, but why I feel I had such a deep response to it.


Francis Bacon- Second Version of Triptych 1944 (1988)





Date experienced: November 2006

Location: Tate Modern, UK


Tate Description:

Part man, part beast, these howling creatures first appeared in Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, which Bacon painted during the Second World War. One critic described that picture as a reflection of ‘the atrocious world into which we have survived’. Bacon identified his distorted figures with the vengeful Greek Furies, while the title places them in the Christian context of the crucifixion. In this version, painted in 1988, Bacon changed the background colour from orange to blood red, and placed more space around the figures, plunging them into a deep void.

It’s not often I round a corner in a museum and am literally shocked. I had no idea I’d be walking straight into an original painting I’d always admired but only seen in images the size of a baseball card.

The first immediate impact of these works, were their sheer scale. Having never read of their dimensions before, I was astonished to see they were easily seven or more feet tall- and take up the wall of an entire room in length. One is easily intimidated being in their presence.

The attraction to red in art as stated in my look at Rothko’s Maroon series was immediate (indeed, these works were experienced in the same day). The previous version of this work from the 1940’s depended upon a burnt orange for its background. The reds behind these ‘creatures’ felt like a similar consistency as Rothko’s series: the more you observe it, the more subtlety you saw in the shades.

Strangely enough, I never interpreted the red as indicative of blood or violence, possibly from having experienced similar affecting reds just hours before. As remarked in the above quotes, the feeling of ‘falling into a deep void’ is immediately what I felt walking into the room (closest to the painting on the right). While excited, I found myself backing away at the same time. This feeling was far stronger than the repulsion of the monstrous forms in the paintings. If you’ve ever experienced the feeling of free-falling before sleep you will understand the experience I had. That kind of fall often jolts me awake for a long time, as I’ve had a great fear of that kind of experience. Jumping from a building would probably be the worst way to go in my mind.

While the distortion of flesh and fury is inherent and obvious in nearly all of Bacon’s works, that was never what really affected me. I feel more admiration at the ideas and technique than disgust at the creatures upon seeing his works. There’s always been something ‘else’ there.

I realized more about what it was while conducting interviews with filmmaker Paul Solet, on the set of his award-winning short film GRACE in 2006. Much of the film’s color scheme, despite being a highly disturbing film, did not match the usual desaturated, decayed, rotten-wood palette of nearly every horror film of the past twenty years. It’s bright and utilizes vibrant purples, reds, pinks, greens to knock the viewer off balance.

In our interview he mentioned the production design’s color scheme was influenced by Francis Bacon. And how “default morbid mode” in modern horror cinema depends upon “dark.” From the time of day to the lighting scheme to the look of every set. But Bacon often does an opposite; using brighter colors, crazy pinks and salmons and vibrant purples and reds to knock the viewer off-kilter even more, as we don’t expect these “pleasing” colors to be utilized in an image that can provoke anxiety, torment and fear.

I’d written previous articles on horror films that have not only been considered modern or past classics, but are considered some of the scariest of their generations; often this was something I saw filmmakers employ in their visual arsenal. Two quotes from a recent documentary of The Shining stand out and clarify my point:

“The Shining is the perfect example of a horror genre movie that does not employ the classical horror genre visual elements.” -Janusz Kaminski, cinematographer

“I think the thing about it is that (Kubrick) creates a setting that has a certain kind of peacefulness that belies the story that he’s telling.” –Caleb Deschanel, cinematographer

Bacon’s color schemes, and several great genre filmmakers(often ones who had not helmed horror films before) step outside the box and in doing so, worked on my nerves even more. We all fear similar things, but it takes a true talent to bring you to the same place through such unconventional approaches.

Grace is (c) 2006 Paul Solet/Gracefilm, LLC.


-Adam Barnick