Lucian
Freud was born in 1922 in Berlin, Germany. He was a figurative
painter working primarily in realism. He is considered to be one of
the greatest modern figural painters. In 1933, his family relocated
from Berlin to London. When Freud was seventeen, he had began
publishing his drawings in magazines such as the Horizon and
becoming active within the avant-garde and homosexual communities of
London. In 1939, Freud began his formal art training at the Central
School of Art, the east Anglian School of Painting, and later
Goldsmiths' College. Freud had his first solo exhibition in 1944. He
remained a resident of London for the duration of his career and
became a leading figure of the group of artists known as the School
of London. Freud consistently worked as a painter and draughtsman for
over forty years until 2011 when he passed away.
Reflection (Self-Portrait), Lucian Freud, Oil on Canvas, 22 x 20 ”, 1985
It was
in the 1940's that Freud became serious about drawing portraits. He
repeatedly painted his first and second wives. Early in Freud's
painting career, he explored the human existential crisis through
portraiture. By the early 1950's it was apparent that Freud had
drifted from the problem of expression to the problem of creating
the flawless illusion of reality. All of his paintings maintained a
desaturated palette. Freud's focus was obsessive. In 1966, he found
fascination in female nude bodies, then in 1977 he shifted his
artistic obsession to the male nude body. It was in his female nude
period that Freud had his mother and daughter sit nude for him. Many
of Freud's models were close with him.
David Hockney, Lucian Freud, Oil on Canvas, 16 x 12 ¼ ", 2002
Freud
is one of the most influential artists of my art. After looking at
his work and seeing his paintings in museums, I better understand the
importance of value and color for accurately describing the human
body and form. His subtle use of color is masterful and yields a
fluid composition. His portraits are typically of morbid faces and
macabre figures. Allusions to Freud's style have subconsciously
become present in my own paintings. I have not adopted a process
similar to Freud's. He only painted from live subjects and dedicated
massive amounts of time to each piece thus making his works more
observational than experiential. I would like my process to be far
quicker than his own. I do take preference of live models than images
though. With my portraits, I do not seek to convey one emotion.
Instead, I want to present facial expressions that suggest an
infinite possibility of feeling because regardless of what we feel
and are capable of feeling, we remain bound to our body and identity.
Benefit
Supervisor Sleeping,
Lucian Freud, Oil on Canvas, 59
5/8 x 86¼ ”, 1995
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