Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing Drawing

Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing Ink, pencil and acrylic on paper 2015. Ready for framing. In 1980 we had a school trip to The Tate, London and a painting by Francis Bacon stopped me in my tracks. I remember it was displayed low on the wall, almost to the floor. The painting 'Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion' was and still is jaw dropping. Painted in 1944 it still looks incredibly contemporary and ahead of its time. The central figure reminded me of Ridley Scott's chest buster in the 'Alien' movie. The painting can be interpreted in many ways. The triptych depicts a cross between animal, human and stone figures. The left panel sees a head turning 'listening'. The central panel sees a stone like figure blind folded and the right panel an animal mouth wide open. The triptych from left to right can be read 'Hear nothing, see nothing, say nothing'. The painting is simple yet devastatingly effective. Stone deaf and almost stone dead, each figure managing to communicate. Painted towards the end of World War 2 in 1944, it is full of anguish and pain and yet totally silent. The devastating effect and ultimate outcome of war. My drawing 'Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing' is a tribute to this Bacon painting because it's probably the first painting I had looked at and questioned the meaning of.