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Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion is a 1944 triptych painted by Francis Bacon. The canvasses are based on the Eumenides—or Furies—of Aeschylus's Oresteia and depict three writhing anthropomorphic creatures set against a flat burnt orange background. It was executed in oil paint and pastel on fibreboard and completed within two weeks. The triptych summarises themes explored in Bacon's previous work, including his examination of Picasso's biomorphs and his interpretations of the Crucifixion and the Greek Furies. Bacon did not realise his original intention to paint a large crucifixion scene and place the figures at the foot of the cross. The Three Studies are generally considered Bacon's first mature piece; he regarded his works before the triptych as irrelevant, and throughout his life he tried to suppress their appearance in the art market. When the painting was first exhibited in 1945, it caused a sensation and established him as one of the foremost post-war painters. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Angel by A. J. Davies

... that stained glass artist Archibald John Davies ran a studio for 47 years at Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts, producing hundreds of works (example pictured)?
... that the author of Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami felt that the idea for the story was cliché when it was first suggested by her editors?
... that a busy hospital in the capital of Malawi handles 24,000 births per year by having ten babies in a bed and up to four in an incubator?
... that as the only woman reporter in her bureau, Kathryn Johnson was assigned to cover stories her male colleagues refused, such as the activities of Martin Luther King Jr.?
... that the publisher of Serious Sam II petitioned Guinness World Records to recognise it for the most enemies simultaneously displayed in a video game?
... that Clara E. Thoms toured the United States as a concert pianist at the age of eight?
... that two ancient Chinese astronomers are said to have been executed for failing to predict a solar eclipse because they were drinking?
... that Yugoslav finance minister Vojin Đuričić also headed an astronomical society and an aero club?
... that SHeDAISY's record label sent spatulas to radio programmers to encourage them to "flip" a poorly-received single?

In the news

Artemis II in flight

NASA launches the lunar flyby mission Artemis II (pictured), the first crewed mission past low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
In Mongolia, Nyam-Osoryn Uchral is sworn in as prime minister following the resignation of Gombojavyn Zandanshatar.
The Social Democrats, led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, remain the largest party after the Danish general election, with no political bloc winning a majority of seats.
In Italy, voters reject a reform of the judicial system in a constitutional referendum.

On this day

April 3

Replica of Luna 10

1559 – Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain signed the second treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, ending the Italian War of 1551–1559.
1888 – Emma Elizabeth Smith was killed in the first of eleven unsolved murders of women that took place in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London.
1966 – Luna 10 (replica pictured) entered orbit around the Moon, becoming the first space probe to orbit an astronomical body other than Earth or the Sun.
2018 – A woman opened fire at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California, injuring three people before killing herself.

Shivaji (d. 1680)
Mary Harrison McKee (b. 1858)
Gus Grissom (b. 1926)
Yuliya Yefimova (b. 1992)

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is best known for her novels, poems and short stories, which are often set in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria, where she was raised. By the age of 13, Adichie had started analysing stories by her father James Nwoye Adichie, including ones about Biafra. At 20, she made her debut as a published writer with the 1997 poetry collection Decisions, followed by a play, For the Love of Biafra, in 1998. She gained critical recognition with the release of her first novel Purple Hibiscus, published in the United States on 30 October 2003 by Algonquin Books. Adichie is a prolific writer of short stories, many of which were compiled in her collection The Thing Around Your Neck, published in 2009. Among the many accolades that Adichie has earned for her works are the National Book Critics Circle Award, MacArthur Fellowship, and induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. (Full list...)

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The Hualien earthquake occurred on 3 April 2024. It was a M_w 7.4 earthquake in Hualien County, Taiwan. At least 19 people were killed and over 1,100 were injured. It was the strongest earthquake to strike Taiwan since the 1999 Jiji earthquake. This photograph shows the partially-collapsed Uranus Building.

Photograph: Shufu Liu, perspective correction made by Basile Morin

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