Lucian Freud

Self-portrait

1963, oil on canvas

National Portrait Gallery

Reflection (self-portrait)
1985, oil on canvas
51 x 56 cm
Private collection

Lucian Freud is a German-born British painter. He was born in 1922 in Berlin, came to England with his parents in 1931, and acquired British nationality in 1939. His work has taken many turns and different directions over the years. He is a very diverse artist who has stood the test off time.


His early work was meticulously painted, so he has sometimes been described as a ‘Realist’, but the subjectivity and intensity of his work has always set him apart from the traditional characteristic of most British figurative art since the Second World War. In his later work (from the late 1950s) his handling became much broader.


In the second piece Freud has created an image of impressive force and truth. The self-portrait is a good likeness, but, as all portraits must, it emphasises an aspect of the sitter – in this case, the effects of ageing, unflinchingly observed.


Like Rembrandt, Freud has painted himself continually throughout his life. This results in Freud documenting his facial changing features and his work as an artist over the years. During these years Freud has painted himself in all manner of ways: caught in a shaving-mirror; from below; and, memorably, wearing nothing but the old boots he wears for painting to avoid getting pigment on his shoes.


The two pieces I have picked show a sharp contrast. The first, ‘Self-portrait’, 1963, oil on canvas, is bold, with strong brush strokes capturing the essence of Freud’s face. In this piece Freud is more interested in form and how the piece works overall. However, with time his work developed into being more detailed and accurate. In the second piece, ‘Reflection’ produced in 1985 using oil on canvas, shows traces of the bold markings Freud used to use so much. However, they have moved into the background and detail and precision have taken over. The piece shows the eye is on he golden section; therefore aiding the viewer to be led around the piece.


Lucian Freud’s way of painting, the detail he creates, has changed over time as I have talked about however, the colour palette he uses is still the same; earthy browns, yellows, reds and greens. And yes, his age and changing face are shown clearly in his pieces. No one in art history has scrutinised his own appearance for more of his life than Lucian Freud. The truth is important to him.


Freud has one of the most powerful and unusual personalities in contemporary art, but – paradoxically, perhaps – he believes strongly that the only important thing is the picture itself. That is perhaps why his titles are often calculatedly general – Naked Portrait, Head of Girl, Man Smoking.