SECOND VERSION, TRIPTYCH (CENTRE) 1944, 1989

  • Second Version, Triptych (Centre) 1944, 1989, Francis Bacon
    After Second Version of The Triptych, 1944 (centre panel), 1989
    Lithograph, edition size 60, H 62 X W 46cm
    ©The Estate of Francis Bacon 
    Second Version, Triptych (Centre) 1944, 1989 is a signed lithograph by Francis Bacon, revisiting one of the most important compositions of his career. Based on his groundbreaking 1944 triptych Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, this later work shows Bacon re-examining the imagery that first defined his reputation. The central panel depicts one of his grotesque, semi-human figures set against a field of deep burgundy, a colour that had become a visual signature by this point in his career.
     
    In this version,  the figure’s twisted pose and ambiguous anatomy capture the raw psychological tension that has made the Triptych 1944 series so enduring. Here, the creature’s open mouth, frozen mid-scream, seems to echo across decades — a symbol of horror, pain, and survival.

     

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  • It’s always hopeless to talk about painting - one never does anything but talk around it.

    - Francis Bacon
    The triptych was first exhibited in 1945 at London’s Lefevre Gallery, where it caused an immediate sensation. Its unflinching brutality and the sheer originality of its imagery set Bacon apart from his contemporaries. The work shattered expectations of what figurative painting could be, replacing beauty with confrontation and serenity with psychological chaos. Today, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion is regarded as the foundation of Bacon’s oeuvre, the moment he found his voice as an artist, and one of the defining statements on the human condition in modern art.
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