LUCIAN FREUD
Lucian Freud (1922-2011), a British painter and draughtsman, is one of the most celebrated artists of our time. Throughout a career that spanned seven decades Freud remained committed to the time-honoured subject of portraiture and the nude, which he redefined through his frank scrutiny of the human form. His subjects were usually family, friends, lovers, fellow artists and famous contemporary figures. He would paint each sitter from life over a period of several months, during which time they would develop a close relationship. As a result, his paintings are imbued with an intimacy and intense psychological charge. Freud claims that his ‘subject matter is autobiographical, it’s all to do with hope and memory and sensuality and involvement really’.
Freud’s style can be described as Neo-Romantic, due to the emphasis on the individual and the vulnerable human body. His figures are usually portrayed alone or in pairs in a sparse setting, which suggests a certain alienation and melancholy. At times they convey a sense of uncomfortable exposure or rigidity, at others calm reflection. Freud spent the majority of his life working in Paddington, London, and the bleak nature of the inner city area is reflected in his sombre interiors.
Freud’s early style was realist, meticulously sharp and tightly focused. He worked slowly and deliberately, wiping his paintbrush after every stoke. Over time his brushstrokes became looser, particularly after 1956 when he exchanged finely pointed sable brushes for stiffer hogs hair. Whereas the former produced a pallid, translucent effect, the latter allowed him to amplify his touch and apply thick impasto, creating a fleshier appearance. In the late 50s, having previously painted sitting down, Freud began to work standing up, which encouraged a more athletic and energetic manner, while the attention to detail for which he was famed never wavered.
The subjects of Freud’s painted portrait heads and nudes are often revisited in etchings, which can be as large as or even larger than the related canvases. Their concentrated linear aesthetic and dramatically sparse and cropped compositions provide a fascinating counterpart and help the viewer to comprehend the tension between precise scrutiny and abstract perception in Freud’s understanding of realism.