SECOND VERSION, TRIPTYCH (LEFT) 1944. 1989

  • After Second Version Of The Triptych 1944 (left panel), 1989
    After Second Version Of The Triptych 1944 (left panel), 1989
    Lithograph, edition size 60, H 62 X W 46cm 
    ©The Estate of Francis Bacon
    After Second Version of the Triptych 1944 (Left Panel) (1988) is a signed lithograph by Francis Bacon, produced in an edition of  60. The work revisits one of Bacon’s most pivotal subjects, the Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, the 1944 triptych that first established his reputation. This later reinterpretation demonstrates Bacon’s lifelong tendency to return to earlier imagery, reworking it with new intensity and restraint.
     
    In this left panel, the distorted hybrid figure appears caught between movement and paralysis, suspended within a flat, minimal background. Bacon strips away any sense of context, focusing instead on the raw psychological energy of the form. Created more than four decades after the original, the print shows how his technique evolved, sharper, more precise, and deliberately controlled, yet still charged with unease.
     
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  • If you can talk about it, why paint it?


    - Francis Bacon

    The contrast between the deep, fleshy tones of the figure and the blazing backdrop heightens the emotional charge of the image, turning the scene into something at once violent and strangely luminous. The brilliance of the colour amplifies the tension between attraction and repulsion, drawing the viewer closer even as the subject resists comprehension.
    Created over forty years after the original painting, this 1988 print reflects Bacon’s enduring fascination with his own imagery and his ability to transform it through time. It embodies both his mastery of colour and composition and his unflinching examination of the human condition - making it one of the most sought-after and recognisable images in his entire body of work.