Genetic Criticism and Analysis of Francis Bacon’s Painting, “Three Studies on Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion”

Tُhe process of the emergence and formation of a work of art has always been the concern of artists and researchers in art studies. The creation of artwork has also been the subject of educational programs due to its technical aspects. This underscores the importance of studying the path of the creation of a work. This is possible through the genetic criticism and its methodological feasibility. Because the criticism, also called the embryology of the work, makes possible the process of genesis and text formation by focusing on all the extra-textual and intra-textual aspects of a work, relying on objective observation and material documentation. This article intends to explain the method of this critique in the field of painting studies. Thus, Francis Bacon’s painting “Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion”, 1944, is studied using the model of Genetic criticism. And these questions are answered: How can the method of Genetic criticism be used in the study and critique of visual arts? What factors affect the quality of Genetic criticism of paintings? Because Bacon has a different genetic behavior, leaves few “pre-text” that affect the quality of the genetic document.