Friday, October 28, 2022

The Way of All Flesh

Here's what Lucien Freud looked like in 1946, when he was 24.  He called this self-portrait "Man with a Thistle," perhaps alluding to his future reputation for prickliness.

 

And here he is at 80, another self-portrait painted with brush strokes thick enough to convey the passage of nearly six decades and the accumulation of exhausted wisdom.  I can't say I've ever been as moved by a painting.  


It reminds me of an incredible photo Richard Avedon took of Stephen Sondheim.  Both artists exude a sense of finite accomplishment with no trace of vanity. So refreshing!


I don't think the pungent reality of Freud's later works would be quite so astonishing if not for his early stylized portraits.  They're almost callow.

"Girl with a Kitten" (1947)
"Double Portrait" (1985-6)
"Girl in a Fur Coat" (1967)
Freud, the grandson of Sigmund, had an undeniably complicated life, including 14 known children and an intense relationship with Francis Bacon.  This retrospective has convinced me to tackle his two-volume biography by William Feaver.


He certainly knew how to capture naked men. It's all so tactile.

"Painter & Model" (1986-7)
You can feel the pressure of her foot on the tube!


It took me a minute to realize this work is unfinished.  I couldn't take my eyes off the confrontational glare of the subject.

"Portrait of the Hound" (2011)
I had very little desire to see any of the great works in the National Gallery's permanent collection.  Exhibitions like "Lucien Freud:  New Perspectives" demand to be savored.  A live drawing class did  make an impression, however.


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