Significant Aspect in the Painting Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944) - Essay Example

Significant Aspect in the Painting ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944)’ Francis Bacon is one of the artists who exhibited a unique style in his painting. Although the artist exhibited focus on painting at an older age compared to other artists of his time, he made progress and some of his works remain to be highly intriguing1. One of his highly influential works was the ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion’ that he did in 1944. This essay will focus on the style of triptych and distorted images that are evident in the painting, making it an outstanding piece, whose relevance has surpassed the passing of time. From the onset of his career, Bacon exhibited an addiction to the Crucifixion as a subject in many of his artistic works. This does not imply that he depicted a salient attachment to religion. He highlighted that the crucifixion represented a unique subject that he could use to express a range of human feelings successfully.2 From the years when he started painting, he demonstrated immense interest in depicting images that he associates closely with the crucifixion. Prior to painting this piece of work in 1944, he had painted other images that revealed his unique style of depicting strange objects. For Bacon, the ‘Three Figures’ marked the beginning of his career because he made claims that he had not taken art as a serious career in the previous years. Apparently, he had painted other pieces of work before this influential piece, but he attributed this to his immature style, judging from the increased criticism he had received from his counterparts and himself.3 According to him, the Three Figures’ served as his debut into painting, and it depicted his mature style. Judging from the uniqueness of the painting, it is evident that he exerted himself and expressed himself in an outstanding manner. Through the use of strange images, he managed to bring out the format of the triptych, a style of painting that redefined his painting experience because he painted many other art pieces using this unique style.4 ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion’ Description The painting has three images that exhibited differences.5 A glance at the images reveals that they are not the usual image that the human eye is familiar with, a factor that makes an art analyst realize that such strangeness is one of the unique aspects of the painting. Whereas many artists depict normal objects that the audience are familiar with in conformity with the realism art ideology, Bacon depicts surrealism in this piece of art.6 Artists belonging to the surrealist school of thought defied the norm and highlighted that art was a form of expression that allowed each individual to express even things that did not exist in nature. This is the ideology that motivated Bacon because the objects depicted in his painting do not exist in real life. From one perspective, the objectives resemble birds while a closer analysis of the depicted torso resembles the body of a woman. This strangeness of the objects reflects surrealism at its best. First Panel on the left In the image on the left side of the painting, the object appears as the torso of a woman, finding support on another object that resembles a table.7 The position that the woman’s torso occupies on the table-like structure creates a resemblance to flowers resting on a table. The torsoappearsto have a head that exhibits wrapping using a cloth. The shoulders on the torso resemble reduced wings, giving the viewer a new idea idea that probably the torso is but a chicken after some plucking of its wings and feathers. The head depicts a downward stretch, with a triangle-like picture forming in the view of the observer. The torso seems to have a mouth-like structure resembling the beak of a bird. Further analysis also presents the idea of an animal in its efforts to snarl. Image in the Second Panel The image at the center is different and exhibits multiple contours and a unique gaze directed towards the middle of the object. Moreover, the image also reveals the presence of a wooden armature that possesses an additional segment at the upper part. A closer analysis reveals the presence of a bird’s legs that spread across the entire structure depicted by the artist. The bird’s trunk depicts an oval shape, and wings protrude on its side.8 The neck of the bird forwards, making it easy for the viewer to have a clear shot of the wide open mouth. The head exhibits a wrapping using cloth, with the teeth in the mouth exposed. The cloth used for wrapping has its ends hanging loose on the head, creating an illusion of ears attached to the head. Third Panel The image on the right side of the painting also has a mouth that seems widely open. Contrary to the second image, the mouth of this object depicts a greater depth of opening. This image does not take a central position in the space, but appears to be protruding from the right side, affording itself support from one arm, presenting the viewer with the image of support from a pillar. The arm rests on a surface that contains grass. The wide opening of the mouth brings about two different feelings that of extreme pain and an ardent desire to avenge something. The artist placed emphasis on the opening of the mouth, making the other parts of the trunk negligible.9 Apparently, the artist depicted a high level of strangeness in the three objects. The triptych format serves to define a unique style for the artist.10 From interviews conducted during his lifetime, the artist revealed that he lacked the fond of telling a story in his work, but preferred this style to express different ranges of human feelings11. The three figures do not tell any connected story as many viewers would expect. On the contrary, each image needs a separate analysis. The triptych format entails three panels, with Bacon using each panel to depict a certain feeling. In each panel lies a distorted image that the viewer needs to analyze critically.12 The three panels depict a different level of distortion and feelings. However, all the panels have a similar reddish background. This is the only thing that unifies them as belonging to the same painting. The distortion of images reflects Bacon’s heightened attachment to surrealism and inspiration from Pablo Picasso. Research reveals that the three distorted images were at the base of a crucifixion although that does not appear in the painting.13 As mentioned above, the artist exhibited an obsession with the crucifixion, and relied on it to express human feelings. In the normal usage, the crucifixion served as a constant reminder of God and his son expressing self-sacrificial love of the people. Thecrucifixion was an integral part of all the people professing Christianity. Bacon relied on it to express other human feelings that people hardly talked about. In the triptych of focus in this paper, he used three panels and strange objects depict his themes. Evidently, the artist sought to evoke the feelings of his audience. A close examination of the distorted images serves to trigger certain feelings, especially because they occur at the base of a crucifixion14. The artist had mastered his style and usage of the dynamism of the crucifixion. The ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944)’ received a wide range of criticism, with his close allies admitting that he had achieved expertise in using it. Baconrealized the reception that the crucifixion had in any society relying upon it as an integral part of his style translated to an increased positive reception. Many viewers would be drawn to the crucifixion initially, and later take an interest in the distorted images portrayed by Bacon.15 It is more intriguing that in this painting Bacon highlighted the presence of a crucifixion by stretching the hands of the trunks depicted in his triptych. This moves the viewer to associate the images with the crucifixion.16 The artist liked to explore themes of violence in his work. In other paintings, he depicted a wide range of violent acts and their consequences. This motivates the viewer of the ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944)’ to associate the distorted images with the violence theme.17 Probably the artist sought to display the kind of unseen violence that occurred in undefined spatial positions. The opening of the mouth in the third panel depicts feelings that conform to the violence theme. Conclusion The ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944)’ is one of the most intriguing paintings done by Francis Bacon. The painting represented his mature debut in the art industry after years of unsuccessful painting. The painting employs the triptych format, that consists of three panels that tell different stories18. The artist also exhibits an obsession with the crucifix, since the images in this painting were destined to lie at the base of a crucifixion. The strangeness of the objects depicted and the triptych formatis the unique aspects of this painting. Work Cited ADAMS, James L. The Grotesque in Art and Literature: Theological Reflections, (Grand Rapids, Mich. [u.a.: Eerdman, 2007) Art Factory. Francis Bacon- portraits of anxiety and alienation. http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/portraits/francis_bacon.htm> Accessed 24th November 2013. BOYNE, Roy. Subject, Society and Culture, (Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE, 2002) DE, KOONING W, et al. De Kooning: A Retrospective (New York: Museum of Modern Art, 2011). DELEUZE, Gilles. Francis Bacon: the logic of sensation. http://monoskop.org/images/1/1f/Deleuze_Gilles_Francis_Bacon_The_Logic_of_Sensation.pdf> Accessed 24th November 2013. DYER, J. Paint and Suffering:series and community in Francis Bacon’ painting. http://www2.swgc.mun.ca/animus/Articles/Volume%208/dyer8.pdf> Accessed 24th November 2013. FICACCI, Luigi. Francis Bacon 1909-1992 (Ko?ln: Taschen, 2006). HABBARD, Sue. Francis Bacon: Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944). http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/bacon-three-studies-for-figures-at-the-base-of-a-crucifixion-n06171> Accessed 24th November 2013. HARRIS, Paul A. Time and Uncertainty: [essays ... Presented at the Eleventh Triennial Conference of the International Society for the Study of Time, Held in July 2001 at the Castello Di Gargonza, Italy], (Leiden [u.a.: Brill, 2004). HARRISON, Martin. Francis Bacon. http://www.francis-bacon.com/blog/tag/martin-harrison/> accessed 24th November 2013. JAATINEN, PM. The rebirth of an image.Web. 24th November 2013. JANSEN Van Lauren, Nathan. Violence and Trauma and the influence of Francis Bacon in the paintings of Robert Hodgins. http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10539/11071/Nathan%20Jansen%20van%20Vuuren%20Thesis.pdf?sequence=2> Accessed 24th November 2013. KISTERS, K. Interviewing Francis Bacon. http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/kunsttexte/2012-2/kisters-sandra-7/PDF/kisters.pdf> Accessed 24th November 2013. RODRIGUEZ, Mario. A contemporary analysis of Francis Bacon. http://www.scribd.com/doc/153801535/A-contemporary-analysis-of-Francis-Bacon> Accessed 24th November 2013. TELCI, M. Figure and Flesh: Francis Bacon’s Challenge. http://www.thesis.bilkent.edu.tr/0002067.pdf> accessed 24th November 2013. JONES, Jonathan. Monstrous war: Francis Bacon's Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/picture/2012/oct/02/francis-bacon-three-studies-crucifixion> Accessed 24 November 2013. Picture Credits http://www.suehubbard.com/art_critic/francis_bacon_three_studies.shtml www.artyfactory.com/artappreciation/portraits/francis_bacon.htm? Read More