“Triptych May-June 1974,” created by Francis Bacon between the years 1974 and 1977, is an evocative work within the Expressionist movement, classified under the figurative genre. The artwork is a triptych, consisting of three panels, each portraying a scene imbued with Bacon’s distinctive style that blends abstraction with distorted human forms.
The left and right panels present figures under umbrellas on a sandy, barren landscape, possibly a beach setting, with a horizon line separating the sky and the sea in the background. The central panel features another contorted figure, positioned on the ground in front of a stark, dark rectangle which might represent a doorway or abstracted space. Each figure is distorted, with fleshy, disjointed limbs and indistinct features, embodying Bacon’s frequent exploration of the human condition and existential angst. The overall composition of the triptych is haunting and introspective, capturing a sense of isolation and disquiet through its unsettling, almost surreal depiction of the human form.