Stefanie Olescher

Comparative
Study Francis Bacon
(1909-1992),
Crucifixion-
Triptychon (left
wing), 1965
THE CHANGING DEPICTION OF Oil and
DISTORTION WITHIN THE CONTEXT Acrylics auf
OF TIME AND PLACE THAT THEY canvas, 197,5 x
WERE CREATED. 147 cm (left
w i n g ) ;
Pinaothek der
M o d e r n e
„moderne
This comparative study examines three artists artworks including Kunst“; Munich
Francis Bacon’s „Crucifixion- Triptychon“, Hieronymus Bosch’s
„Last Judgement“ and Egon Schiele’s „Death and the Maiden“.

The compositions differ culturally, aesthetically, while harboring

the same theme of depicting death through distorted human
beings.

Hieronymus Bosch (c
1450–1516), The Last
Judgment (right wing)
(c 1500-1505), oil on
oak panel, right wing
163 × 60 cm,
Gemäldegalerie,
Akademie der Egon Schiele (1890-1918), Tod und Mädchen
bildenden Künste, (1915); oil on canvas, 150 x 180 cm;
Vienna.. Österreichische Galerie Belvedere
Francis Triptychs are paintings parted into three. Often in the form of biblical Eadweards Muybridge, The Human

Bacon
THE CONTEXT AND THE INFLUENCES ON
BACON AND HIS WORK
Context
Bacon was born 1909 in
Ireland to a christian family.
His childhood was
characterized by the horse
stud of the family, the young
men and his abusive father.
As homosexuality was seen
perspective and space.
“These works show him
linked to a European
modernist tradition, with a
debt to Picasso and
building on cubism as he
made the shift from
decorator to painter.“.
Descent From the Cross by Peter Paul
Rubens, 1612-1614. Oil on panel. Triptych,
28 x 9.8 ft. Antwerp Cathedral.
Left: the visitation
Middle: the descent
Right: presentation of Jesus at the
temple
Rubens triptych served as inspiration
for Bacon’s „Crucifixion“ (1965).
altar paintings, they originated in the Middle Ages and used to Figure in Motion, 1901
decorate churches. Bacon had a tendency for sequential paintings,
as images „revealed themselves in series“ and he painted over 76
triptychs between 1944-1986.
„The triptych is a more balanced unit.“ (Francis Bacon)
Bacon’s work can be seen as „a modernist rendition of Rubens’
Descent from the Cross.“
Like a series of successive images from a photography, 3 paintings
chronologically displayed „tell a better story“ (Bacon on his
preference of triptychs) - by breaking down the process.
To Bacon, „images of the crucifixion were a magnificent armature on
which you can (work) about your own feelings and sensations (…) Eadweards Muybridge
and the way life is.“ (Francis Bacon)
Francis Bacon’s ambition was to make his
“pictures look as if a human being had
passed between them, like a snail, leaving a
TRYPTICHS
trail of the human presence and memory

as a disgrace at that time, at
age 15 his father expelled
him from home, after he
caught Francis trying on
clothes of his mother. Even
though his father was very
v i o l e n t t o w a rd s y o u n g
Bacon throughout his
childhood, he admired him
and showed affection
towards abusive behavior.
Francis kept that
characteristic long until his
adult life; most of his
paintings were inspired by
brutality.
Francis trips contributed to
his emotional wakening, I.e.
committing to
homosexuality. From 1928
to 1930 he worked as an
interior designer in London,
Paris and Berlin, whose
influence is especially visible
in the background of his
later paintings, paying
particular attention to
When he visited the
surrealist exhibition of the
„Bathers“ 1933 in Paris,
Bacon became especially
inspired by Picasso’s works
and took up painting. Bacon
never belonged to any art
movement, however his
works contain elements of
surrealism, expressionism
and pop art.
In 1944, just after the World
War two, which he was
fortunately unable to join
due to his asthma: "If I
hadn't been asthmatic, I
might never have gone onto
painting at all,“, he enjoyed
a worldwide reputation for
his first triptych.
Although he never received
schooling in art practice, his
paintings clearly in an
effective visual presentation
depict the wounded and
traumatized post war
humanity.
INFLUENCES trace of past events as the snail leaves its
slime”. (Francis Bacon; T. Michel)
As Bacon never received schooling in
PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDY art, he took Eadweards Muybridge’s
OF MOTION series of photographs as an
A)
inspiration for painting his subjects
A) proportional and close to reality.
However, while Muybridge takes
accurate photographs of humans,
traumatized Bacon distorts them to
resemble fear.
Throughout his career, paintings of
2) for example the Pope Innocent by
Velazquez, served as a template too.
Francis Bacon. Crucifixion, 1965.
197.5cm x 147cm. Bayerische
Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich
SURREALISM A) „Swastika Bandage“
Pablo Picasso Heinrich Hoffmann
NAZI PROPAGANDA
„While Picasso deconstructs his figures into their pieces and puts them photography
together anew, Francis Bacon condenses his heaps of flesh dough with
expressive brush strokes, but aborts its anthropogenesis at the very Bacon included several elements from Heinrich
Hoffmann’s photography under the Nazi regime in
moment it turns from abstract color matter into figuration.“ Thomas
his works of art (see: the Swastika Bandage
Michel, artist denoted as A) on the triptych) . Although he lived
during WW2, Bacon however never takes position
on his personal political beliefs.
Not only inspired Pablo Picasso’s work
Bacon to start painting himself, but he later
Pablo Picasso, also included surrealistic elements such as „(…)Horrified fascination (towards Nazi Regime)…
1908, Dryad, oil on
canvas, 185 x 108 abstract figurations in his own art. An Bacon started working with this imagery, looking at
cm, The State
example for this is „Drei Figuren am Fuße the true nature of the regime that had emerged. He
H e r m i t a g e
einer Kreuzigung“ (1944). This however Francis Bacon. „Three Studies for
Museum, St
Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion“ used it to explore the instinctive, savage, bestial
Petersburg was classified by critics as „not 1944. Oil paint on 3 boards. Each 94 x nature that was dominating everyone's lives,“
surrealistic enough“ and Bacon preceded 73.7 cm. Tate Britain
Professor Hammer
with exploring Expressionism.
Analysis
The left panel of the triptych shows two isolated human carcasses.“ (Francis Bacon). There is a lot of contrast
bodies: a defeated very muscular figure splayed on a between the colors, as well as the hue, creating areas of
mattress on the right (1) and a naked woman to the left extreme lights and shadows (1, 2). The figures seem
FORMAL QUALITIES IN (2). The woman is curvy and even unsettled, through the organic expressive meandering
„CRUCIFIXION“ though one can only guess by the nature of the curved strokes, having a cluster of flesh
3

John Deakin. Portrait

of Henrietta Moraes
distorted face a connection and
Francis Bacon depiction of Henrietta Morates
(3), Bacon implied the woman to
represent her. He took his
7 5 inspiration from John Dokin's
photographs of her (3), as her presence as a friend was
very significant to him- to such an extend, that Henrietta
was subject in many more of his 1970s works.
On the bed the mangled carcass that looks like it’s been
shot to death is lying in bandages (1), which Hugh
3 Davies suggests are „the frilly parer collars used by
butchers to dress up joints of meat“. The scene (4)
embodies pain and chaos through distorting the human
bodies, conveying the sense that especially the man are
charged with emotion and
2
representing them; the man also looks as if he was
deteriorating or decomposing, as the strokes give a
sense of action and movement (1).
The subjects can only be identified through some
exaggerated human features; especially the extremities
and they are not an accurate depiction of reality; they
rather seem like they were separated, cut into individual
pieces and Francis put them new together. (comparison
to Picasso)
The backgrounds stands in strong contrast to the
humans, It consists of a strong orange canvas (5) (upper
half), a monochromatic cool sand/ nude colored floor (6)
(lower half) and a door (7) to the left of the painting. The
painting and the black color of the door (7) give no

otto Dix. Neue Sachlichkeit Seine II

(Mord. 1922. Watercolor on paper.
horror, The brush strokes indication, where the door is going- the floor just ends.
4
9 are very „raw“ and The neutral sand floor is separated from the black and
abstract, depicting the orange by a sharp horizontal line (8). While orange and

26 x 20 inches. Germany
8 1 disturbing violence, beige shades count as warm colors, they seem to have
reminding of Otto Dix’s a cool undertone in this painting, which complements
(Germany 1891- 1969) for one, the red flesh and the green/ bluish shadows of
„rape and murder“ (1922), the subjects (1, 2).
10 taking attributes from In comparison to the subjects, the background seems
Expressionism. rather flat, as Bacon rarely used any shadows (10).
Additional to that, he decided to paint the room in the
4
Bacon was preoccupied with the affection towards one-point- perspective (9). This gives the viewer the
violence and the act of butchering was a way of sense, that all figures in the series are in the same room,
representing that: „I’ve always been very moved by as in: on the same level; like being on stage.
pictures about slaughterhouses and meat.“ (2), pg. 14). He instead purposely uses static straight lines, that are
of bold nature, to distinguish the wall from the floor (8).
The color choice for the subject’s bodies is very mixed. As a result, Bacon defines the form by uniform
6
He uses light as well as dark colors. The skin is very geometric color blocks that remind of Cubism.
flesh like, due to lively realistic pink and beige base skin
tones, complemented with cool grey/ blueish shadows Overall, the emotional, rich-in-contrast subjects,
Francis Bacon, Crucifixion-Triptychon (left wing), 1965, Oil and and striking bold red (1, 2). „One has got to remember h a r m o n i z e n e x t t o t h e m o n o c h ro m e , o r a n g e
Acrylics auf canvas, 197,5 x 147 cm (left wing); Pinaothek der as a painter that there is this great beauty of the color of background, and neither of them take the significance
Moderne „moderne Kunst“; Munich meat… we are meat, we are potential from one another. The focus is directed to either.

Contextualization
INTERPRETATION OF BACON’S
„CRUCIFIXION“
To me, the humans
look tortured and in
suffering, especially
the figure on the
bed. The man seems
to be in an situation
with no way out and
h o p e l e s s l y
desperate for life,
represented through Francis Bacon. Crucifixion,
1965. 197.5cm x 147cm.
„traumatised flesh of Munich
accident victims“ (Robert Hughes, critic)
When I first saw the painting, I was
shocked, as I am not used to see
paintings that brutal. It directly confronts
the viewer with a scenery of horror,
reminding of a slaughterhouse or a
nightmare.
„Think that my paintings are horrible.
Horrible! But then you only need to think
about the meat on your plate.“
(Francis Bacon)
As Francis Bacon suffered from Asthma
all throughout his life, the subjects in his
works seem trapped behind glass,
getting choked by it.
However, as the paintings are separated
by frames and locked behind glass:
„enclosed in the wretched glass capsule
of the human individual“ (Friedrich
Nietzsche, philosopher), it creates
distance to the scenario.
Even though you might be initially
shocked, to some extend even
provoked, you realize that you are not
one with the painting and the painting is
not reality (although I think it is to some
extend).
You as the viewer are outside and you
can look onto the scenario, which is
displayed like on a pedestal, for you to
lionize.
The triptych is captivating through its
movement and flow of brush strokes, its
intensity of the emotion and the
contrasting bold colors; and even
though the background seems very flat
and monotone, the painting is still very
exciting and vivid, full of life.
"Bacon’s best work is fueled by anger
and pain.“
(John Richardson, art historian and
friend of Bacon)
I think it should depict exactly that: in
one second one can be so energetic and
lively, while in the next, you can be dead.
It shows how fragile life is and how close
we are on the verge of dying- which
however is inevitable.
„I would like, in my arbitrary way, to bring
one nearer to the actual human
being.“ (Francis Bacon)
Influence and Importance
THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE AND THE
AUDIENCE’S RECEPTION TO FRANCIS BACON
The works of Francis Bacon are very personal, as the subjects for the majority of his works include
individuals from his own life (his friends including Lucian Freud and John Edwards; and his lovers
John Deakin and George Dyer). The interpretation are individual to the viewer and you therefore
cannot predict and over- generalize the effect on the audience.
His paintings were provocative and revolutionary: „Bacon’s main subject and primal obsession is the
human figure, radically reshaped and engaged in an activity that, before 1969, was punishable in
England - and quite often was punished - by criminal prosecution, social obloquy and jail.“ (Robert
Hughes)
However, part of his influence can be traced to
contemporary artist Damien Hirst.
His works (also rooted in christianity) follow Bacons
philosophy in creating works featuring subjects embodying
death, such as animal corpses.
„They give you the shivers, his best paintings.(…) I think
Bacon is one of the greatest painters of all time..“ (Damien
Hirst, 2008)
Francis Bacon. Figure Damien Hirst.The Pursuit
with Meat. 1954. of Oblivion. 2004.
Bacon also influenced the development of Neo-Expressionism in the late 1970s, depicting the
subjects „in an almost raw brutish manner“ and especially inspired contemporary artist Julian
Schnabel, who is known for his „brutal expressivity“.
However, his works trigger controversial receptions ranging from calling him a „ruthless chronicler of
the human condition“ (Nancy Spector, curator at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York), to
„Bacon’s paintings are mocked, his talents dwarfed.“ (Jonathan Jones, art critic)
Francis Bacon is „England's most celebrated recently dead painter. He is probably the
best-known one, and possibly the most popular.“ (Robert Hughes, critic) and he was the
first contemporary English artist to have an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in
New York 1973.
Francis Bacon’s „Three Studies of Lucian Freud" was
purchased 2013 at an auction in New York for $142.4
million, making it the most expensive work ever sold.
Francis Bacon. Three Studies of Lucian Freud. 1969.
Oil on Canvas. 198 x 147.5 cm.
Hieronymus Bosch Gothic Art: EUROPEAN ART (1300-1450)
• Christian Art due to the growing power of INFLUENCES
THE CONTEXT AND THE INFLUENCES ON BOSCH’S The Church in Rome
WORK AND THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE • Altar piece art „Chaotic, monstrous, barbaric“
• Initially there was no spacial depth in art, (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Dutch Hieronymus

Apocalypse.
Hieronymus Bosch.
however, in the late 1500s artists included
Bosch witnessed his foreshortening and pictorial structure, and
put an emphasis on the effect of light/ He created the paining on wood fulfilling an
hometown burn down
shadow on landscape, distance, interior religious purpose representing „Paradise“, „Earth“
when he was only 13
setting, materials to create the illusion of and the „Hell“.
years old, leaving
multiple dimensions and perspective
young christian Bosch
traumatized. His Jean le de Berry. „Mai“ Extract from Tres Riches Heures du duc de
Berry.1410-16. Chantilly
depiction of the hell
expresses his and the
general public’s chronic “Bosch’s paintings are populated with grotesque scenes of fantastical
anxiety of the age, creatures succumbing to all manner of human desire, fantasy, and angst.”
especially considering (Stefan Fischer, author of „Hieronymus Bosch: Complete Works“
the black death. The
day of judgement was a
common theme and
Bosch was influenced by Albrecht Dürer’s
already mentioned in
apocalyptic vision, foreshadowing the end of
the Hymn Sombre Dies,
the world.
“Day of Wrath, that day Hieronymus Bosch (c 1450–1516), The
the world dissolves in Albrecht Dürer. Endzeiterwartung Last Judgment (c 1500-1505), oil on oak
glowing ashes.“ (1300s) (Apocalypse). Woodcut. 1534. panel, 164 cm x 247 cm, Gemäldegalerie,
Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna..

Bosch’s interpretation represents the final act of the long and turbulent history of mankind, beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve (left panel) ending in hell. Untypical for that time, where christian
themes were especially represented through art, in Bosch’s work an evil is already present in the Garden of Eve, which is known for innocence and purity, (left panel) in the form of temptations and
punishments. (Larry Silver, „Hieronymus Bosch“)
The Northern Renaissance Art was characterized by depicting idealized biblical themes, curiosity of the natural world and christian symbolism. Bosch adapted the style of Gothic Art, and thus painted
triptychs. He used religious elements, including Heaven, Hell, and medieval symbols to catch the attention from the Christian audience. However, Hieronymus Bosch used a new form of landscape painting,
several surrealistic features including unusual and “strange” 7 ways of sin“ and the connected punishment are depicted on the painting, representing what you had to face when you committed a crime
against the Church. This warned and horrified the people and made them aware of the gruesome consequences they had to face when breaking the rules.
animal/ human hybrids and monsters, which reminded of the gargoyles that were very prominent in architecture during the Gothic Art Movement, to differentiate himself from the other artists. Although
Surrealism was not discovered until the 1920’s through Salvador Dali, its precursor Bosch interpreted surrealism as a way to represent fantasies and dreams: in his case the dreams were rather nightmares
featuring the apocalyptic vision.
“A world of dreams [and] nightmares in which forms seem to flicker and change before our eyes.” (Walter Gibbs, Historian)
Back then, Bosch’s paintings were different, however still expressing what people felt during his lifetime, influenced by their experience of the ‘Dark Ages’ and the Black Death. They were not fully
understood by the audience and classified as “absurd” due to their complexity of symbolic meanings, while they were still “entertaining”(5, pg. 13), as they decorated, especially altars and walls in churches,
in a visually pleasing way. Bosch was commissioned to the painting by high-class Christian aristocrats from the Netherlands. 1512 he is recorded to be one of the wealthiest citizens of s’-Hertogenbosch,
thus he had many people copying and trying to imitate his style. (Bettina Erche, FAZ) There was a general sense of its imminence and prophets insisted the world was near its end. This subject became a
popular matter in the fifteenth century increasing the feeling of doom. The depiction of the Earth as hell evoked a negative connotation with religion within the audience. It made the audience feel
uncomfortable and its purpose was to act as a form of religious warning. It should communicate, that one shall not give in to temptations making him commit a sin, as he will have to face punishments in
forms of abuse. The third panel of his triptych visualizes the medieval imagination go hell, based on „eye witness- accounts“, cave paintings, and sections of the Old Testimony. Bosch was familiar with
apocalyptic visions; took inspiration from St John Revelation, the Account of Last days given (a popular text in the 15th century), as well as Albrecht Dürer’s „Apocalypse“ in woodcut. While Hieronymus’s
famous triptychs still depict biblical themes, he “looked beyond the surface” and captured fear of the people back then of Hell and the potential apocalypse. The symbols he included in his paintings already
feature surrealistic elements, inspiring not only surrealists Miro and Dali, but also the development of Surrealism hundredths of years later, as well as having an influence on European Art.
Analysis
FORMAL QUALITIES IN
The right panel is the third part of the triptych
and it shows the day of judgement, inspired by
Rogier van der Weyden works.
overlapping to separate the different layers,
making it easy to distinguish and differentiate
between the fore-mid and background. For
Most action
takes place in
the foreground
„THE LAST JUDGEMENT“ the background he of the
uses a contrast painting; most
between the natural vs of the subjects
the man made world, gather here. Bosch did not use the 1-point
represented by for one, perspective, as this was not invented until later
the houses, and the trees (2). in the Renaissance Period. Instead, „he creates
depth in his paintings by stacking one plane
Rogier van der Weyden. The Last Judgment The lines he uses onto another.“ (Kurt Falk)
(1443-1451). Oil on panel. 215 x 650 cm. Beaune. for the background Although, one would try to
1 However, it depicted the suffered rather than the are very dynamic, trace and follow the lines
rescued, which were the common themes in while he uses fine thinking they were
2 van Weyden’s works. It is the representation of delicate lines for pointing to the centre at
hell on earth, vividly expressing the chronic the mid and the black- faced monster
anxiety of the age. foreground. conducting an “infernal”
Objects in the mid-ground are larger in concert as the point of
The viewer looks onto the landscape from a comparison to the apocalyptic landscape, attention, the lines
high vantage points, so that he can see the however still only enjoy secondary importance however do not follow the same direction.
pain and sorrow in its totality. (7, pg.13) to the foreground (3). Bosch chose to add a

4 3
5 light, through successive illumination
6 and eerie. The apocalyptic destruction therefore
Hieronymus Bosch (c 1450–1516),
The Last Judgment (right wing) (c
1500-1505), oil on oak panel, 163 ×
60 cm, Gemäldegalerie, Akademie
der bildenden Künste, Vienna.
The landscape of the earth seems nearly
indistinguishable from the hell. Although Bosch
did not use a „special“ perspective, an illusion
of depth is created through the
realistic use of lights and shadows.
„Bosch creates his spaces through
of various planes.“ (Kurt Falk). In the
upper third of the painting he used a
high contrast between the black silhouette, of
the horrific burning city and the warm light
yellow and orange flames (1). The edges are
rather diffuse and the sections separated by
fuzzy lines make the landscape appear doomy
seems further away from the viewer.
Other factors, such as
the use of proportion,
aid in enhancing and in
creating a feeling of
depth. The houses are
far smaller than the humans
shown in for example the mid-
and the foreground. He uses
contrast of the bold black lines
and the advantage of
new color to this section of the The monster however is
painting, a yellowish moss green surrounded by light naked
(achieved through„verdigris“ bodies, as well as a
pigment and „lead-tin yellow“ contrasting black army of
glaze) (cape or angel statue for monsters with great
example)(4) to the warm color significance.
palette. The green stands out, as The foreground therefore
it is complementary to the pansy consists of many elements
purple „madder lake“ floor and of symbolism, including
shadows. The angel statue to the grotesque creatures like
right, that stands out to the viewer Demons, against the
due to its color and proportionally large size, conventions of Gothic Art. (see page 7 for
seems as if if was tormented by demons. further analysis)
Bosch had a very In the foreground we can see the highest
good sense of contrast, range and variety of colors (from
shading. Especially "orange ochre“ to „red lake“, dark „brown ochre“
the organic shapes and even to „lead white“ pigments) (Luuk
as well as the Hoogstede, "Technical Studies“), and very
geometric shapes detailed strokes compared to the rest of the
therefore appear painting (6).
very realistic. The sand furnace is depicted with
shading very close to reality (5). The painting perfectly captures the fear of hell
However, for Bosch, „three-dimensionality is not of the people in 15th century northern Europe
the focus.“ (Kurt Falk, „The Unknown and embodies pain, depicting not only the
Hieronymus Bosch“) supernatural, but the subsensible world.
Symbolism
THE MEANING AND
SIGNIFICANCE OF SYMBOLS IN
„THE LAST JUDGEMENT“
SCREAMING SOULS BY THE FURNACE
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ANIMAL/HUMAN HYBRIDS
GNAWED HUMANS
BROTHELS
The faces of the screaming souls by the furnace seem tortured and cry out. This represents the screeching
and hissing of the dead suffering in hell, that the people back then used to hear. Those are held together,
imprisoned in an engine of torture (a chamber), as it was believed. This was the common vision of the Hell in
the 15th century. The painting of Bosch captures the pain that people, who ended up in hell, encountered.
“Musical Instruments” are a symbol for lust. Musical instruments are associated with bringing temptations
ANIMALS directly from the Devil. Hieronymus especially included bagpipes (Dudelsäcke) in his works. The bagpipe is a
symbol for the sin “voluptuousness”, which, when committed, puts you into hell as a punishment for it. The
presence of an “Owl” aims to expose people who committed a sin. The role of animals, especially mythical
creatures, in the Middle Ages, was to deliver a moral and impose a religious belief upon the people. (Gerd
Unverfehrt)
If a “Toad” sits on either of the extremities, it also depicts the sin “voluptuousness”. If the toad however sits on
the face or breast of a human, Bosch tried to express the sin “arrogance”. He painted the humans naked and
without protection to defend themselves, as they were vulnerable and completely and utterly at the cruel some
consequences and the Devil’s mercy. Hieronymus included various other sins distributed throughout his
painting. The “7 ways of sin“ and the connected punishment are depicted on the painting, representing what
you had to face when you committed a crime against the Church. This warned and horrified the people and
made them aware of the gruesome consequences they had to face when breaking the rules.“Gnawed
humans” on sticks establish a pattern throughout the painting due to a repetition of this symbol. They are a
direct representation of suffering that is caused when committing “voluptuousness” or “turpitude”, so that the
pains in life seem as a “soothing ointment” in comparison. People should be able evoked to feel physical pain
when thinking about committing a sin. Buildings that have a “flag attached to their roof”, according to Bosch,
stand for a brothel. Visiting a brothel is against the belief of the powerful Church. The Church and the high-class
Christians that commissioned Bosch to paint for them, tired to warn the citizens, that if they committed a crime
of such nature, they would end in hell. “Many of his moralising compositions teem with terrifying demons and
monsters, goading and tormenting the frail sinners of humankind.” Bosch fused humans with animals creating
“supernatural” diabolic hybrids. Humans with animal heads, especially fish heads (Christianity connotation),
with bird wings and “ugly” imps represent both “fascinating and shocking” monsters. (BBC Culture) These
demons and the “Black Army” are distributed over the whole painting, depicted through the repetition of black
monsters. They represent Satans “brutal swarms”, that punish humans for the sins they committed.
Together with the “Black Army” they are the personal torturers of the Devil. The Devil often was represented not
as serious, but rather as a funny mock, “a grotesque monster”, in the late Middle Ages.

BLACK ARMY In the painting, the defenseless humans are tortured by the Devil and his army for committing sins against The
Church. The painting was supposed to shock the people and the pain and suffering, Bosch depicted through
several symbols, should act as a warning and prevent the population from committing sins. The work
summarizes the vision and the general fear of the population of going to Hell imposed by The Church.
Egon CONTEXT,
INFLUENCES,
Schiele
AUDIENCE &
CULTURAL
SIGNIFICANCE
Schiele's works acted as a form of protest
against academic art practices. He aimed to
shock the conservative audience by evoking
feelings of revulsion and resentment.
Schiele was born in 1890 in Vienna. His
"exceptional" talent was early discovered and
at age 16, when he was accepted in- and
pursued to study at the “Akademie der
bildenden Künste Wien” (Academy of Fine Art
Vienna). Under influence of his initially only
inspiration- and then later even having him as
his own mentor, Schiele follows footsteps of
artist Gustav Klimt. Gustav
Klimt was an Austrian
symbolist painter and one of
the most prominent members
of the Vienna Secession
movement. Klimt is noted for
his paintings, murals and
Gustav Klimt.
sketches. Egon adapted Danae. 1908. Oil.
Klimt's erotic style of work, 77x83 cm. Vienna.
drawing naked human figures.
While only of age 17, Klimt recognizes Egon's
talent and promotes him, so that Egon
receives a 3-year training in Aktzeichnen
(nude drawing). Art around 1900s in Vienna
was characterized by tension torn by the
discrepancy between tradition and the
transition into modern art. Under conservative
academic art, Schiele feels misunderstood
and unable to express himself. He therefore
explores new stylistic ways, featuring
especially sexuality and eroticism, while
searching for the truth: bold and raw. His
works express his own mind and the
p ro g re s s i o n o f p a i n h e e n c o u n t e re d
throughout. ‘I must see new things and
investigate them. I want to taste dark water
and see cracking trees and wild winds." (Egon
Schiele).
His curiosity of naked human figures and
sexuality fuel his artistic development,
creating over 3000 drawings, mostly in his
signature graphic style, over the course of his
rather short career. In 1911, When Egon
Schiele and Wally Neuzil, his life model and
partner in their free and "wild" relationship,
moved to the village Neulengbach (35 km
south of Vienna), Egon’s house was under
constant observation. His conservative
neighbors were especially skeptical of him
and his work: young girls, often villagers or
prostitutes, would walk in and out of their
house to stand as a nude models for him.
"Egon Schiele is known for his stripped-down,
often macabre eroticism - a path that once
landed him a 24-day jail sentence for child
pornography and „indecency.“ (Blouin Artinfo,
2008)
He was arrested in 1911 and accused of child
abduction and rape of these young girls. His
works display exposed girls, confronting the
audience in an uncensored way, and was
therefore seen as highly controversial in the
eyes of the conservative society. 125 erotic
sketches were confiscated and he was
sentenced to jail for 24 days.
The audience perceived him as "vom
Erotischen besessen" (obsessed with
eroticism), his works "obszön und
pornografisch" (obscene and pornographic).
While Schiele was transparent regarding his
feelings, inner struggles and desires,
responses from the audience to his self-
portraits range from „von der starren Fixierung
des Betrachters und den ambivalenten
Formen des Blickens bis hin zur ostentativen
Blickverweigerung als Negativ-Form der
Betrachtersprache.“ (responses from the
audience range from: locked eyes of the
v i e w e r, c a p t u re d b y S c h i e l e ’s w o r k ,
intriguingly staring at it, to repulsion and
refusal to look at it).
Displaying his works in numerous exhibitions
in Vienna, Budapest and Munich next to
artists including Klimt himself, Egon enjoyed fame and admiration for his
Franz Marc and Wassily “early maturity”. Even up until now, he
Kandinsky, his already remained as one of the most important figures
established reputation and his d u r i n g t h e W i e n e r M o d e r n e ( Vi e n n a
friendship to Klimt made it Modernism) figurative arts development
possible for Schiele, to grab a (known as Vienna Secession), as well as
foot again in Vienna 1913 after modern art and he even had an influence on
Franz Marc. the devastating scandal; and expressionists, including Francis Bacon,
Blaues Pferd.
1911. 112x85 cm. he even was incorporated in portraying the human body in ecstatic
Lenbachhaus.
the "Bund österreichischer rawness.
Künstler", The Vienna Secession was a progressive
Schiele "annihilated the concept of beauty group of Austrian artists including painters,
upheld by the Jugendstil artists“. His work designers, poets, etc., representing the
therefore displays Jugendstil characteristics: forward- thinking youth, free from all idealistic
t h e b a ro q u e , d e c o r a t i v e b a c k g ro u n d standards of the 19th century, exposed by
overloaded in meandering and shagged lines. the conservatism artistic institutions in Vienna.
Additionally, Egon was known for never using The general tone oft the movement can be
an eraser and his nevertheless clear contours. summarized by this quote: „Enough of
Schiele dreaded “loneliness with a fear Censorship. I am having recourse to self-help.
bordering on terror”. I want to get out.“ Gustav Klimt.
For his artworks, Schiele preferred watercolor Schiele died at age twenty-eight as a
and oil paintings. The sparsely used colors consequence of the Spanish flu pandemic.
were doomy, expressing pain, eros and death
and his fear of World War 1 1914, he served in He is remembered for
for several days, while he was still allowed to bringing expressionism
continue with his art practices. to Vienna, graphically
„Die Technik des Ölgemäldes behält er depicting, exposing and
existenziellen Menschheitsthemen mit den giving account of his
Sinnbildern von Tod, Leben, Bekehrung oder emotions and inner
Einsamkeit vor.“ (Vienna Modernism) struggles through his
He left his lover Wally to “vividly psychological” Egon Schiele.Self Portrait
marry Edith Harms, “a works, provoking the w i t h P h y s a l i s . 1 9 1 2 .
Painting .Leopold Museum.
woman of good social conservative society Vienna.
standing” who had an with their raw sexuality.
influence on his works,
visible in especially 2011, his work „Haus mit bunter
Death and the Maiden Wäsche“ (1914) was sold for 27,7 million euro
(1915), representing Egon Schiele. Tod und at an auction; even online, the price for his
Mädchen (1915); oil on
d e s p a i r : h i s f e e l i n g canvas, 150 x 180 cm; aquarelle „Liegende Frau“ was 1.83 million
regarding the separation Österreichische
Belvedere
Galerie
Euro, the highest
from Wally. price recorded at
His friendship to Max Oppenheimer, who an online auction.
was also an Austrian artist belonging to the
“Wiener Expressionisten”, especially inspired Egon Schiele.
Liegende Frau. 1917.
by van Gogh, animated Egon to incorporate Oil. 171x96 cm.
features of expressionism in his work. Vienna.
 Analysis
FORMAL QUALITIES IN
„TOD UND MÄDCHEN“
characterize the
3 background. The outline
4 of the shapes follows the curves of the
5 bodies(4). Additionally, the shapes are
1 repeated all throughout the background
2 creating a pattern that reminds of waves
arriving and leaving the shore; their in- and
out movement implied by jazzy lines. This
sense of action accompanies the painting
6 with a sort of rhythm. The theme of creating
a sense of company in the form of music was
a popular concept in 15th century art: the
Egon Schiele (1890-1918), Tod und Mädchen (1915); oil
medieval concept of „Dance and Death“.
on canvas, 150 x 180 cm; Österreichische Galerie
Belvedere Schiele at the time of the painting had just
separated, explaining the doomy tone, from
The Death and the Maiden (1914-15) is his lover Wally, after having an affair that
one of Schiele's rather complex than his lasted over years. This was just a few months
usual simple works depicting his inner before his marriage to Edith Neuzil. This
turmoil at that time. It showed two figures: a separation is represented by the literal
man dressed in a munch gown (1) and a chaotic dance with the dead lover depicted
woman kneeing on the floor next to him(2), by the two figures. He took the idea of using
wrapping her disproportionally thin arms abstract forms to create a psychological
around him. Schiele used his artworks to background in the painting taking from
depict his state of mind; however, the self- Expressionism.The munch symbolizes
staging as a munch presumes that he was infertility (ref. 3). He does not
hiding behind a costume, as he usually desire the woman physically;
expresses himself naked, which represents the voluptuousness is dead
freedom from ideals, materialism, standards (reference to the name of the
pretendance and illusion. (Werkschau von artwork).
Egon Schiele, Das Erste). Overall, the painting seems
The two are surrounded by an abstract emotionally- as well as
landscape(3). When looking at the painting, erotically charged. The bold conturing lines
the viewer feels like looking down onto the form it and give definition to it, visually
subjects; the perspective is not necessarily depicted through the
bird- eye view, but rather looking from a distinguishable clear outline.
higher point of elevation (vantage point) Schiele also used a thin stroke and
down. For his model drawings, Schiele also sharp lines for the subjects. To
used to look down onto the models from a paint the body of the woman, he
ladder above: this puts the focus on the uses edges rather than round arched lines to
subjects, as well as inviting the viewer to enhance her femininity. Her knee for
look beyond and move into space. Clear lines example consist of rather square knee caps,
that join to form hill-looking shapes creating a sense of being very bony and to an
extend also starved. The woman seems
v u l n e ra b l e , c l i n g i n g o n t o t h e m a n
representing death (5). Her long, rather
over- extended, and slender
arms could break any minute, as
it seems due to his successful
figure disproportion. The spikes
in her dress make it look ragged;
the exaggerated pose kneeling
on a white blanked, makes it look
unpleasant. Both of the subjects
also do not seem as if they enjoyed
it. The Death, as well as the
Maiden, have a disengaged look,
their facial expression implying
displeasure. Even though the
subjects are placed outside any
recognizable place, the two
isolated bodies evoke a sense of
unity. The subjects are painted in the same
color scheme and are both characterized by
their boniness of their physical nature. The
skin tones Schiele used are rather doomy;
this preference developed to be his style and
what he was known for. People argue that
the early death of his father, when Schiele
was only 15 years old, left him
traumatized- represented in his
p a i n t i n g s by t h e gl o o my
lugubrious colors. Therefore
the subjects skin is pink flesh
colored with complementary
green shadows, implying a
connection between the two
subjects. They are not alone,
rather together abandoned from the rest.
„Schiele's unusual looks stood out..
The features of his face were usually
fixed in an earnest, almost sad
expression, as though caused by
pains which made him weep
inwardly.“(art critic at BlouinArtinfo)
Both however seem disengaged. The eyes of
the man seem like non-human (*)black
holes; his pupils dilated. Even though it
looks as if he was fondling
her head with his long and
body fingers, his other hand
tries to push her away and
loose the clingy grip she has
around him. A kind of
trademark of Schiele were the fingers of the
subjects, that he positioned in
such a way, that they form a v-
shape. His reason for doing so
is however unclear. The Maiden
too seems worried and looks
weary. The position she knees in, conveys a
sense of discomfort. Her fingers are tapering
and twiggy, and her bones are emphasized
by hard lines, she however still represents
femininity. Both her wrists, her ankles and
especially naked white calves are
exposed(6). Schiele had a preoccupation in
painting erotically charged scenes. Therefore
identifying her as a woman is not hard, event
though the bones and edges would suggest
so. She still is a symbol for sexuality and
fertility, and back at that time, people in
Austria still were very conservative and
women were discouraged from wearing
short skirts that would expose their calves
and would be tempting for the males, but the
artist wanted to provoke the society as part
of the art revolution in Vienna.
Schiele managed and succeeded to create
beauty in a work where our conventions of
beauty are distorted represented by jagged
contours and hard lines surrounded by
abstract forms that play together. The scene
depicted seems very intimate.
It is an intense experience to look at it, as it
feels like looking directly into the mind of
Schiele himself.
Comparison ABSTRACT
Egon Schiele, Tod und Mädchen
(1915)

VENN DIAGRAM OF LANDSCAPE

„CRUCIFIXION TRIPTYCHON“,
„TOD UND MÄDCHEN“, AND WW1
„THE LAST JUDGEMENT“
OIL ON CANVAS DISTINCT
CONTOUR LINES
DESPAIR
VIENNA SECESSION

EXPRESSIONISM
DETAILED FACIAL
REPRESENTATION
EXPRESSION
OF EMOTIONAL 2D
STATE OF ARTIST ART AS A PROFESSION
DEATH
POST WW2 RAW FLESH
DISTURBING GLOOMY COLOR
BEAUTY WITHIN DETAILED
WARM COLORS PALETTE
DISTORTED BACKGROUND
HIGH VANTAGE
2 FIGURES
1-POINT DISTORTED POINT
PERSPECTIVE HUMANS PROVOCATIIVE PAINTED IN 1500S
PLAIN 0
RELIGIOUS DOES NOT
BACKGROUND
TRYPTICH SYMBOLISM CONSIDER
PLACE AND
PERSPECTIVE
TIMELESS SUFFERING

OIL AND ACRYLIC NAKED BODIES OIL PAINTING ON

ON CANVAS OAK WOOD
VIOLENCE
EXPRESSION OF
Francis Bacon, SELF-TAUGHT CHRONIC ANXIETY Hieronymus Bosch
Crucifixion-Triptychon (left The Last Judgment, (right
ARTIST OF AGE panel), (c 1500-1505)
wing), (1965)
Differences HOW IS THEIR WORK
UNIQUE?
„Tod und Mädchen“ by SCHIELE

Egon Schiele’s artworks were a form of protest against the traditional conservative art practices. During the 1900s in
Vienna, he felt unable to express himself in the conservative society. The early death of his father traumatized young
Egon. He wanted to share his feelings and represented his inner turmoil through art. Unlike Bosch and Bacon, he
painted mostly self-portraits, He saw the purpose in art to shock the audience and evoke feelings of revulsion and
resentment, as part of challenging their standards and conventions. Inspired by Gustav Klimt, who was part of the
Vienna Secession, he adapted an the erotic style of work, his “signature graphic style”. To the conservative population
back then, he seemed as “vom erotischen besessen”. Schiele received a lot of criticism and opposition for his work, until
he was even arrested to jail and his works (nude drawings of young models) were confiscated. The Jugendstil
movement, whose influence is especially visible in the background of “Tod und Mädchen”, inspired Schiele to create
the abstract decorative landscape, defined by his signature bold, clear outlines.
While Bosch and Bacon’s color choice was rather vibrant, Schiele used gloomy shades of oil colors, to represent his Egon Schiele (1890-1918), Tod und Mädchen
feelings about his life and especially the general fear of WW1, where he grew up in. (1915); oil on canvas, 150 x 180 cm;
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere

„The Last Judgement“ by BOSCH „Crucifixion-Triptychon“ by BACON

Hieronymus Bosch’s artworks aid The Church as propaganda, to spread fear amongst
citizen in the 15th century and yield respect towards the ruling Christian power. The
paintings shock the people and the pain that Bosch depicted through certain symbols,
should act as a warning and keep them from committing sins. Overall, Bosch summarizes
the vision and general fear of the population of going to hell, imposed by The Church.
During the time Bosch grew up, the Church had a significant role and people were scared
of the “gruesome” consequences when breaking the rules. Bosch depicts “7 ways of sin”,
through symbols in his works and the appropriate punishments. “Voluptuousness” for
example, is represented by the musical instrument said to bring temptation: the bagpipe.
As a consequence, you would be gnawed or burned. The purpose is to warn and horrify
people and cause people to have a bad connotation with hell. Different to the other two
artworks, Bosch lived during the Gothic Art movement and therefore used various
symbols with religious meaning. He depicted sin, cruelty and evil through painting onto
the “paradise”, the “earth” and “hell” as backgrounds.
Unlike Schiele and Bacon, Bosch’s background is very complex, decorated with many
features of symbolic meaning.
Bosch also painted with oil on oak wood, which was typical for the 15th century. Also
typical for that time period, pigments were used as colors. His color palette consisted of
the pigment “verdigris” for example, which he glazed with “lead-tin yellow” to get a moss
green. For figures he used “madder lake”. Bacon and Schiele both used oil colors.
As Hieronymus Bosch was traumatized from experiencing his hometown burning down,
the background of his painting is covered in flames by fuzzy lines, unlike Schiele and
Bacon, whose background is parted into distinct and clear shapes.
Bosch’s human figures are not abstract or disproportional, like in the other two works,
instead Bosch’s figures, although there is no distinction between male and female apart
from their hair, are a proportional representation. The “elegant, slender” figures are
influenced by Dutch artists in the 15th century. During that time, Bosch was surrounded
by grotesque figures such as gargoyles, created during the Gothic Art movement in
architecture. In Schiele’s and Bacon’s lifetime however, other movements and styles have
emerged in both art and architecture.
The message of Bosch’s painting is an expression of the chronic anxiety of that age,
influenced by the apocalyptic vision (mentioned in books and other works of art), as well
still being affected by the aftermath of the dark ages.
With Bosch’s nightmare vision and the animal/ human hybrids he featured in his works,
he inspired the development of Surrealism.
Contemporary artist Francis Bacon grew up after WW2,
in the mid 19th century. The art movements that
therefore influenced him were Surrealism, Cubism and
Expressionism. His works however, were described as
“not surrealistic enough“ and he belongs to neither
movement. He did not receive art schooling, unlike Bosch
and Schiele, and relied heavily on photographs,
especially by Muybridge, for his paintings. He did not like
to paint from a living subject. This is why he started put
as a interior designer. Featuring European modernism
and Cubism, his place- and timeless- backgrounds are
signature for him.
Untypical is also his choice of media. Bacon painted in oil
directly onto an unprimed canvas. Artists, Schiele
included, usually would prime the canvas, so that you
Francis Bacon, Crucifixion-Triptychon could alter or “wipe away” unwanted strokes. However,
(left wing), 1965, Oil and Acrylics auf Bacon liked how unforgiving the oils “immediately
canvas, 197,5 x 147 cm (left wing); stained” the cotton, which enabled him to create such
Pinaothek der Moderne „moderne intensive colors, especially in the background. Bacon
Kunst“; Munich
liked the rawness. This was influenced by his childhood.
His severe asthma, combined with the abuse and violence
of his father, impacted his life. Choosing to lock the
painting behind glass came from his feeling of being
choked due to his asthma, and his affection towards the
brutality of his father fostered Bacon’s violence depicted
in his paintings. The curved brush strokes are “raw”, in
action, of expressive meandering abstract nature, “fueled
by anger”. He disports and exaggerates human features in
his art work and through the brutality of his brush
Hieronymus Bosch (c 1450– strokes, he influenced the development of Neo-
1516), The Last Judgment Expressionism.
(right wing) (c 1500-1505), „I look at everything. And everything I see gets ground up
oil on oak panel, 163 × 60 very fine. In the end one never knows, certainly I myself
cm, Gemäldegalerie,
Akademie der bildenden never know, what the images in my paintings are made up
Künste, Vienna. of.“(Francis Bacon)
Similarities HOW DO THE ARTWORKS
COMPARE?
„The Last Judgement“ by BOSCH X „Tod
und Mädchen“ by SCHIELE
Hieronymus Bosch and Egon Schiele’s artworks are similar
in various aspects including formal qualities, as well as
their cultural significance. In either painting, the facial
expression of the human being is very detailed. Bosch
makes the faces look, even though simplified, realistic and
recognizable. This naturalistic way typical for Renaissance
art, enables us to nearly hear the screaming souls by the
furnace (foreground). Schiele also ensures, that emotions
are conveyed through the facial expression of his subjects.
The eyes of the male figure, the “Death” look disengaged,
and the Maiden looks worried, representing Schiele’s
emotionless mental state during his separation from Wally.
Both artists succeed in expressing themselves and have
technical skill. Schiele studied at the Academy of Fine Arts
Vienna due to his “exceptional talent”, and Bosch received
schooling from his ancestors, who were professional
artists too. This enables Bosch to be commissioned by The
Church and ruling high-class aristocrats. Even though both
artists grew up in a different context, Bosch being
influenced by the dark ages and the apocalypse and
Schiele influenced by WW 1, their color palette is similar
gloomy, reflecting their fear. For “Tod und Mädchen” and
“The last Judgement”, both artists did not rely on the 1-
point-perspective, as Bacon did under influence of cubism,
however, still managed to create the feeling of space, by
overlapping objects and the use of scaling. Both paintings
were planned and structured beforehand. You can see
traces of their initial outlines by examining the paintings
through a special exposure camera. Both artists sketched
before they painted, to get the proportions right and have,
especially important to Schiele, clear outlines. In his other
works for example, you can still see traces of his sketches
through the watercolors, for example at the “circles at the
joints”.
„Crucifixion-Triptychon“ by BACON X „The
Last Judgement“ by BOSCH
Hieronymus Bosch and Francis Bacon both displayed their
artwork in the form of a triptych. Bosch adapted the style
representing biblical altar paintings through triptychs, as the
grew up after their origin in the Middle Ages. Their initial
purpose was also to decorate churches, which Bosch was
commissioned to do. Although Bacon lived during the 19th
century, he had a tendency for paintings in series, which he
was used to through photography. He painted a total of over
76 triptychs. Both paintings represent violence. Bosch
expresses physical suffering through gnawed humans with
sticks and Bacon shoots his male figure to death with no
mercy. The naked human bodies are defenseless against the
power of The Devil, back in the Renaissance. The Church
imposed the belief onto the population through „nightmare
visions“ of the hell, such as Bosch’s work. The human beings
have no power. They are tortured and desperate for life,
however there is no way out for either. The lines Bosch and
Bacon used are dynamic. Bacon’s male figure is expressively
splayed onto the mattress through the “raw” and bold
strokes. For the fire, that burned Hieronymus’ hometown
down, Bosch also used fizzy lines, emotionally charged. Even
though Bosch only had a limited choice of color, as he used
pigments, both artist manage to create strong contrasts. Both
artists also accentuate certain ares by using bold, bright, rich
and vivid color pops. Through the use of proportion, an
illusion of depth is created on the plane 2D canvas. The
figures both artists place in the foreground are compared in
size, larger than those in the background. This becomes
especially evident when you compare the houses in the
background of “The last Judgment” to the human figures,
monsters and grotesque hybrids in the foreground. In Bacon’s
“Crucifixion-Tryptichon”, the female figure is placed closer to
the door, painted smaller than the splayed male figure and
therefore appears to be further back.
„Tod und Mädchen“ by SCHIELE X
„Crucifixion-Triptychon“ by BACON
Egon Schiele and Francis Bacon were both inspired by van Gogh and
Expressionism, as well as by the traumatizing war. Their works aim to
represent their emotions and state of mind and are therefore very personal.
Through “Tod und Mädchen”, Schiele represents his feeling regarding his
separation from his lover Wally. He represents this bold and raw. He, just like
Bacon is searching for the truth. Bacon also wants to represent the truth in his
painting, explaining the expressive flesh. Both artists create the illusion of skin,
raw flesh like. In Schiele’s, as well as in Bacon’s work, the skin is painted in lively
pink and beige tones complemented with cool blue with greenish undertone
shadows. This is not how we would expect skin to look like. The audience is
used to seeing skin as a beige tone only, like in Bosch’s work for example.
However, both Schiele and Bacon know, that a “real” skin tone, is more
dimensional. By painting the bodies naked, the conservative norms of the
audience in both England and Austria are challenged. The purpose of both
paintings is to shock the audience and provoke their conventions. It was
“obscene” to display any form of sexuality and especially such intimate scenes.
In both works, two humans figures are display to an extend distorted. Bacon and
Schiele use curvy lines to accentuate certain parts of the body; they use curvy
lines to emphasize the woman’s hips, as well as the texture of her hair. Schiele
also stretches the arms of the woman as a way to distort the “conventional
norms of beauty”, what both artists try to achieve and succeed through depicting
their figures disproportional. Apart from that, the artists used straight lines.
For Bacon’s work the preference for straight and distinct lines, that he uses
especially in the background, can be traced to his time as an interior designer.
Elements of Cubism are also visible, as the background consists of geometric
color blocks. However, Schieles painting “Tod und Mädchen” is also
characterized by straight lines, that are used for the knee caps and the shoulders
to make them appear square and highlight both of the figure’s bony frame.
The artists painted the background for both their artworks very abstract. It
does not give any indication a a specific place or time and could be anywhere.
This is done on purpose, to put the focus on the distorted subjects, by
juxtaposing them in front of a rather plain background. Like in Bacon’s work, the
two figures seem isolated: while Bacon’s human bodies seem lost in the big
room, Schiele’s figures seem abandoned and isolated from the rest.
Conclusion CONNECTIONS &
SIMILARITIES

„Crucifixion-Triptychon“ by Francis BACON

„The Last Judgement“ by Hieronymus BOSCH X
„Tod und Mädchen“ by Egon SCHIELE X

Although “Crucifixion-Triptychon“, “Tod und Mädchen“ and “The Last Judgement“ originate from different cultural backgrounds, they all have the same central theme. The central theme death
is depicted through the distortion of human beings, in all of the three works. Whether it is through gnawing the humans, in Bosch’s tryptich, or through over-extending certain body parts, such
as the arms in Schiele’s work, the subjects are victims to their artists. The humans portrayed in the works seem vulnerable. In Bacon’s work, the male body is cruel some shot to death. Bosch
also painted his humans naked, representing their vulnerability and inability to hide behind the grotesque creatures and demons of the Devil. In either case, the situation is unpleasant.
Although Schiele’s “Death”, represented through the munch, and “the Maiden” are wearing clothes, the woman seems vulnerable through her exposed calves and ankles, and her clinging onto
the man. One can imagine that being gnawed, or decomposing is not a pleasure, however even kneeling on the floor, like in Schiele’s work, is not a pleasure.
The three works share various formal qualities too. All three artists used warm colors. Bacon used a bold orange canvas, as well as a monochromatic floor. The blood is also painted in a striking
shade of red, complementary to the blue-greenish shadows of the figure’s bodies. Complementary colors are also very apparent in Schiele and Bosch’s work. Even though Bosch had limitations,
as he was using the for the 15th century typical pigments, he was able to create gloomy red and moss green shades. Schiele, like Bacon, used gloomy pink and orange shades to paint the human
flesh with cool greenish/ blue undertones.
Although of different contexts, all three art works are 2D and follow the same perspective. The audience looks at the scenery from a high vantage point. Bacon’s subjects seem as if they were on
a pedestal, Bosch provides through the use of this perspective, an overview of the whole scenery, as well as Schiele. Additionally, Schiele used to paint his subjects from a ladder, explaining his
choice of perspective.
In “Tod und Mädchen”, “Crucifixion-Tryptichon” and “The Last Judgement”, the artists used geometric, as well as organic shapes. Bacon painted the background consisting of uniform geometric
blocks. This preference can be traced to the influence of Cubism and his practices as an interior designer in his early career. Bosch included shapes such as cones, with Christian symbolism
connotations and Schiele’s style painted the Maiden square knee caps, creating the illusion of a bony figure. Contrasting, Schiele used therefore contrasting organic meandering lines for the hill-
like background. Bacon’s organic curvy figures and Bosch’s spheres bring variety into the dominating geometric shapes, that are outlined by distinct contour lines.
Although the reception to the three paintings is controversial, ranging from the audience being “shocked” and “provoked” due to their disturbing nature, the artists were very successful.
Hieronymus Bosch was well respected, commissioned by high-class Christians and had a high reputation, making him “one of the wealthiest citizens” of s’Hetogenbosch. Schiele enjoyed
success too. His “Haus mit bunter Wäsche” (1914) was sold for 27,7 million euros at an auction and he is known for “bringing Expressionism to Vienna”. Bacon is “England’s most celebrated
recently dead painter”, who even exhibited his works in New York. His painting of his friend Lucian Freud “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” (1969) was sold at an auction for $142.4 million.
All three artists painted emotive art works, that were intense and provoked the audience; they were revolutionary different to the cultural conventions, expressing their unique representation
of reality.

Hieronymus
Bosch (c
Francis Bacon, Crucifixion-
Triptychon (left wing), 1965,
“Painting is the pattern of one’s own nervous
system being projected on the canvas.“
1450–1516), Oil and Acrylics auf canvas,
The Last 197,5 x 147 cm (left wing);
Judgment Pinaothek der Moderne
(right wing) „moderne Kunst“; Munich
( c
1500-1505), Francis Bacon
oil on oak
panel, 163 ×
60 cm, This quote by Francis Bacon summarizes the observations I made through this comparative study.
Gemäldegal
e r i e ,
Regardless of our cultural background, where we were born and grew up in, as well as the time and
Akademie the political context, we all face a certain form of conflict throughout our lives.
d e r
bildenden That is the nice thing about art: it enables us to look beyond the medium into the soul of the artist
K ü n s t e , and what influenced, concerned and ultimately moved him. Hieronymus Bosch depicted the fear of
Vienna.
hell in the 15th century, Egon Schiele used art as a medium to express the struggle he went through
during the time of his separation from his lover, and Francis Bacon manage to and provoke the
Egon Schiele (1890-1918), Tod und Mädchen (1915); oil on audience by challenging their norms. All three artist were beyond their peers and influenced the
canvas, 150 x 180 cm; Österreichische Galerie Belvedere development of art, as they planted the seeds for more great art movements.