From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Second Version of Triptych 1944
Second Version of Triptych 1944
Second Version of Triptych 1944 them into a deep void".[3] Critical opinion was mixed
and the triptych drew criticism from those who felt that
its more refined painting technique robbed the image of
much of its power.[4] Denis Farr suggested that while the
second version’s larger scale gave it "a majestic quali-
ty which is highly effective", its svelte presentation less-
ened its shock value.[1] Critic Jonathan Meades felt that
though the 1988 triptych was a more polished and
painterly work, it lacked the rawness of the original. [5]
Artist Francis Bacon
Year 1988
Notes
[1] ^ Farr; Peppiatt; Yard, 217
Type Oil and acrylic on canvas
[2] Cook, Richard. "Le portrait modern en Grande
Dimensions 198 cm × 148 cm (78 in × 58 in) Bretange". Artstudio, Paris, 21, Summer 1991. 50-57
Location Tate Britain, London [3] "Second Version of Triptych 1944 1988". Tate
Gallery display caption, November 2005. Retrieved
Second Version of Triptych 1944 is a 1988 triptych painted on 27 April 2007.
by the Irish-born artist Francis Bacon. It is a reworking of [4] Hyman, James. "Francis Bacon - A Life in Paint".
Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944, Ba- James Hyman Fine Art, 2002. Retrieved on 27 April
con’s most widely known triptych, and the one which es- 2007
tablished his reputation as England’s foremost post-war [5] Meades, Jonathan. "Raw, Embarrassing, Nihilistic".
painters. New Statesman, 6 February 1998.
Bacon often painted second versions of his major
paintings, including Painting (1946), which he reworked in Sources
1971 when the original became too fragile to transport to
exhibitions.[1] In 1988, Bacon completed this near copy of • Farr, Dennis; Peppiatt, Michael; Yard, Sally. Francis
the Three Studies. At 78 × 58 inches, this second version is Bacon: A Retrospective. Harry N Abrams, 1999. ISBN
over twice the size of the original, while the orange back- 0-8109-2925-2
ground has been replaced by a blood-red hue. His reason
for creating this rework remain unclear, although Bacon External links
did say to Richard Cook that he "always wanted to make
• Concise entry at Tate Online
a larger version of the first [Three Studies...]. I thought it
could come off, but I think the first is better. I would have
had to use the orange again so as to give a shock, that
which red dissolves. But the tedium of doing it perhalps
dissuaded me, because mixing that orange with pastel
and then crushing it was an enormous job."[2]
The figures occupy a proportionally smaller space on
the canvas than in the 1944 version, a presentation that,
according to the Tate Gallery’s catalogue, "plung[es]
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Second_Version_of_Triptych_1944&oldid=397156562"
Categories:
• 1988 paintings
• Modern paintings
• Collection of the Tate
• Triptychs
• Francis Bacon paintings
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Second Version of Triptych 1944
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