Alice Costelloe 2003

Lucian Freud painted this oil portrait of Alice Costelloe with a directness that gets right under your skin. The paint is laid on thick, like frosting, each brushstroke a physical assertion. Look at how he models the form with these fleshy pinks and yellows, not shying away from the less conventionally "beautiful" aspects. It’s a brave thing to do, to really look, and then to record what’s there with such unflinching honesty. Freud wasn't interested in idealizing, but in capturing the raw, palpable presence of a person. Notice the way the light catches the ridge of her brow. The way he uses those quick strokes to build up the form of her face feels both intimate and detached, like he's trying to understand her from the outside in. Think of other portraitists like Jenny Saville, who also confront the human form with a similar intensity. Ultimately, Freud reminds us that painting is as much about the process of seeing as it is about the subject.