Lucian Freud, 1922-2011

Tributes to the painter who rose above fashion to focus on the human form

by TheartsdeskFriday, 22 July 2011

Lucian Freud, who died this week, aged 25 in 1947Clifford Coffin

Lucian Freud, who died aged 88 at his west London home on Wednesday, was often described as Britain's greatest living artist. In the six decades he was active, figurative painting went in and out of fashion - though mostly it was out - but Freud remained resolutely outside and beyond fashion. As both an art world grandee and something of a celebrity, he really had no rival, though perhaps David Hockney, still alive and 15 years his junior, came closest. Freud, however, had a very different way of looking: cooler, harder, more penetrative. Below, four writers pay their personal tributes.

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Permalink Submitted by howard.male on Fri, 22/07/2011 - 15:00

An excellent tribute, thank you TAD! For me, the best figurative painting is all about the paint. Well, not all about the paint, but the paint has to be demanding the viewer’s attention as much as, if not more than, what has been painted. Freud mastered this same balancing act that also makes Velázquez, Rembrandt, and even Bacon, particular favourites of mine. One moment the viewer perceives the painting is being all about its visceral, puckered, writhing surface, and the next all that organised chaos magically coalesces into a super-real representation of the physical and physiological essence of its model, be it man, woman, beast or houseplant. Freud pulled off this trick almost every time, as only a genius could.

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Permalink Submitted by Nogz (not verified) on Sat, 23/07/2011 - 08:49

Another great bites the dust, oh well! at least we still have the talentless media whores Hirst and Emin to console us, they couldn't clean his brushes

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Permalink Submitted by Chris (not verified) on Mon, 22/08/2011 - 18:24

This is my favourite Lucian Freud painting “Landlady”. It displays the absolute master that Lucian was. I agree with Howard’s post, that it was the actual painting and not so much the subject matter. Lucian was a great artist and his use of the colours used in skin tone especially have influenced my own paintings. Lucian will be sadly missed but he has left us a valuable legacy.

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