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Lucian Freud is the grandson of Sigmund “the couch whisperer” Freud, but through art he found an identity that was perfectly his own. Known for his cool-toned, realism-based portraits, Lucian developed and defined his style well before passing away in 2011 at the age of 88. Earlier in his career, we saw much lighter, wispier brush strokes from Lucian, but I prefer his later work when he really starts layering it on.
He gives a true roundness to his subjects. A plumpness that almost mimics claymation fills out his muses throughout their cheekbones, rolling hips and curving legs. But what lures me in most are the eyes. Freud never much cared for them, he preferred to express a person’s entire self, rather than forcing his or her story to emerge entirely from the face. The end result is a sort of regal, deadened gaze — like what you’d expect from a socialite pumped full of klonopin.
It opens on Sunday, July 1, at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth as a collaborative effort between that institution and the National Portrait Gallery of London. We’ll get beaucoups of paintings, 90 in fact, and this is the only US venue offering the exhibition. Also, catch Freud’s Naked Truths on Saturday, June 30th and on opening day, Sunday, July 1. It’s the U.S. premiere of the Smithsonian Channel documentary about this famous British painter, as told through the eyes of those who knew him best: his friends, family and models.
