TRIPTYCH INSPIRED BY THE ORESTEIA OF AESCHYLUS (CENTRE PANEL), 1981

  • Triptych inspired by the Orestelia of Aeschylus, 1981

    Triptych inspired by the Orestelia of Aeschylus, 1981

    Oil on Canvas, each panel 198 x 147.5cm 

    ©The Estate of Francis Bacon, Image reproduced for informational purposes only

    Triptych inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus (Centre Panel), 1981, stands as one of the most psychologically charged works of Francis Bacon’s late career. The painting transforms the tragic intensity of Aeschylus’s ancient narrative into a modern visual language, stripping away literal storytelling to focus on pure emotion. At the centre sits a contorted, fleshy form that appears to be both human and inhuman, suspended within a geometric cage. The body twists inward, simultaneously devouring and collapsing upon itself.
     
    Bacon’s use of deep crimson and pale flesh tones intensifies the drama, creating a visual tension between sensuality and violence. The maroon background, stark against the muted floor and walls, evokes both blood and ritual, grounding the figure in a space that feels sacred and claustrophobic at once. In this central panel, Bacon captures the essence of Greek tragedy: the endless conflict between instinct and morality. The work is not an illustration of The Oresteia, but a meditation on its themes, embodying the same cyclical struggle between suffering and redemption that runs through both the ancient text and Bacon’s art.

  • The mystery lies in the irrationality by which you make an appearance - if it is not irrational, you make an illustration.

    - Francis Bacon

    The themes of The Oresteia resonate deeply within Bacon’s Triptych, mirroring his lifelong fascination with the darker sides of human nature. Aeschylus’s trilogy confronts cycles of violence, guilt and retribution, asking whether humanity can ever escape its own destructive instincts. These same ideas are central to Bacon’s art, where figures seem trapped within invisible structures, doomed to repeat gestures of torment or desire. The tension between fate and free will, so integral to Greek tragedy, becomes visual in Bacon’s work through confinement, distortion and repetition. 
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