Lucien Freud: One of the Most Important Working Painters Today
Slate has a great slideshow right now on Lucien Freud at MoMA. Freud became one of my favorite painters when I was in college, and began working in a realist style. He considers himself an autobiographical artist, frequently painting the people in his life.
He’s been the center of two recent-ish scandals. In 2002 the Sunday Telegraph claimed he’d fathered over 40 illegitimate children. And in 2001 his portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (pictured at left) was accused of being “unflattering.” Apparently, he’s also rather grumpy.
The Tate has an interesting article about his technique. You can find more about him at Artcyclopedia, and view some of his recent work here.
Freud’s work continues to influence me, even as I design for the web. His paintings have always seemed very functional; his subjects are composed of many small individual planes building subtle layers of dimension, he paints only what he sees. The works are beautiful and complex, but with little ornamentation and the subjects themselves are very simple.
