Lucian Freud: New Perspectives

Beautiful exhibition at the National Gallery looking at Freud’s technique and art historic precedents rather than his life and sitters.

I liked the perspective this show took as I love Freud’s work but find his detachment and self-absorption difficult. It was hung fairly sparsely so the pictures were easy to see even through it was busy. The commentaries were also quite brief leaving you to draw your own conclusions.

Hanging them in the National Gallery did lead me to make art historic connections I’d not noticed before, such as some beautiful views though windows which had an early Netherlandish feel. There was an audio guide, which I didn’t use which might have made some of this more obvious and I may need to revisit to try it out.

I love the later works with thick impasto which seems to model the bodies and objects as well as depicting their surface. The last room of the monumental works was stunning and it was hard to imagine that some of them were painted when he was nearly 90. The physicality involved seemed amazing.

From the opening quote from Freud I was hooked. “I go to the National Gallery rather than a doctor for help.”

Closes 22 January 2022


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