Francis Bacon British, 1909-1992

In many of Bacon's works the human figure appears against a black rectangle, which could be seen as a window to nothingness. Here, the figure stands literally with one foot in the other, darker world. The present work relates to an oil painting of the same triptych, which resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. It was to be Bacon's final triptych, made at the end of his artistic practice, a composite figure steps in and out of stage-like spaces. Seemingly nailed to the canvas are closely cropped headshots of Bacon's face, at right, and, at left, that of a Brazilian race car driver, placed above muscular lower bodies.

The triptych form is rooted in Christian religious painting; the centre panel is traditionally reserved for the object of devotion. Here, an abject mass of flesh spills forth from the black niche. Bacon said his triptychs were 'the thing I like doing most, and I think this may be related to the thought I've sometimes had of making a film. I like the juxtaposition of the images separated on three different canvases.'

In Volume IV of the Francis Bacon: Catalogué Raisonné 2016, Martin Harrison, FSA says of the painting:

‘The black rectangles resemble tomb slabs, or entrances, from which Capelo appears to advance and Bacon recede. Since, however, uncertainty remains concerning the direction the figures are taking, Bacon may again have been thinking of the Queen’s Chamberlain in the doorway at the rear of Velázquez’s Las Meninas, in which case his substitution of a black void for Velázquez’s flood of light is all the more poignant.’

In April 1992, against the advice of doctors and friends, the artist travelled to Madrid to see Capelo. He became unwell soon after, sadly passing away at the age of eight-two on 28 April.