Lucian Freud

Frank Auerbach by Lucian Freud 1976


Love or loathe his style, not many people would deny that Lucian Freud was a painter of immense skill and dedication. The German born British artist focused on portrait and figurative paintings for the bulk of his career, and carved a niche in that part of the art world that was as distinct and brilliant as Rembrandt. Born in Berlin in 1922 Freud and his family fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and settled in London. He studied briefly at various colleges and schools of art before the war and his early work seemed to be strongly influnced by Surrealism, involving an experimental juxtaposition of figures and objects composed with a thin layer of paint. During the 1950's Freud underwent a significant change in style which would last for the rest of his career. He focused more on portraits and the nude, building up his paintings with a thick impasto of often muted colours. This technique would frequently involve cleaning his brush after each stroke. His models were usually friends and family, and he said of his work: 'The subject matter is autobiographical, it's all to do with hope and memory and sensuality and involvement, really.' For Freud, painting another human being was much more than just trying to capture a good likeness. There was a strong psychological dimension and each stroke seemed like an incision in trying to get under the subjects skin and expose the insecurities and flaws beneath. Art critic Martin Gayford had his portrait by Freud and remarked that it seemed to "reveal secrets—ageing, ugliness, faults—that I imagine...I am hiding from the world...". This is what some people might not like about his art. His approach was often raw and brutal and there is a certain nihilism that comes through, often in a subtle way. He has been compared with Francis Bacon and I can understand why. Their art was in many ways a response to the breakdown of 20th century society. It is not uplifting or wholesome and I personally would have major reservations about hanging it up on my bedroom wall. I don't think it would give an environment a positive or joyful vibe. Regardless, Freud is probably my favorite painter of the portrait and nude. His work is incrediably powerful and technically brilliant, and for some reason I find it fascinating, albeit in small doses.

Lucian Freud 1922 - 2011 REST IN PEACE

(Thanks to Tony Murphy for helping me to post the above image)