SECOND VERSION, TRIPTYCH (RIGHT PANEL) 1944, 1989

  • After Second Version of the Triptych 1944 (Right Panel) by Francis Bacon
    After Second Version of The Triptych 1944 (right panel), 1989
    Lithograph, Edition size 60, H 62 x W 46cm
    ©The Estate of Francis Bacon 
     After Second Version of the Triptych 1944 (Right Panel) is a signed lithograph by Francis Bacon, produced as part of his 1988 revisiting of one of his most defining works, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion. This print, taken from the right-hand panel of the triptych, captures one of Bacon’s most haunting hybrid figures, suspended within a deep burgundy background.
     

    The creature’s contorted pose and gaping mouth express the raw, unsettling energy that first established Bacon’s reputation in the 1940s. Yet in this later reimagining, his handling is sharper and more deliberate, the chaos of his early work refined into a precise, controlled power. The colour and clean composition intensify the figure’s psychological charge, giving the image an almost sculptural presence.

     
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  • If you want to convey fact, this can only ever be done through a form of distortion.

     

    - Francis Bacon

    Francis Bacon’s decision to revisit Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion more than four decades after its creation reveals how deeply the imagery had embedded itself in his artistic identity. The 1944 triptych was the work that first defined him, a vision of human suffering and distortion that shocked post-war audiences and set the tone for his entire career. By the late 1980s, Bacon’s return to this subject was not merely repetition but reflection.
    In After Second Version of the Triptych 1944, Bacon revisited the same primal figures with the precision and discipline of his mature style. The earlier chaos and painterly violence gave way to a cleaner, more structured presentation, where every line and colour felt intentional.