Three Studies for a Crucifixion 1962

Francis Bacon made "Three Studies for a Crucifixion" using oil paint, and he's going for it, not holding back. It's like he's wrestling with the canvas. The orange here isn’t just orange, it's this sickly, almost radioactive glow. Then the figures, they're not just distorted, they're dissolving. See in the left panel how the blood has been handled, running like thick gravy? It's so physical, you can almost smell it. The whole triptych feels like a scream trapped in paint, and it reminds me of Goya's black paintings, that same raw, unflinching look at the dark side. Bacon's not giving us answers, he's just showing us the questions, the mess, the beautiful, terrible struggle of being human.