John Minton 1952

Lucian Freud painted this portrait of John Minton with oil on canvas. Look at the way Freud builds up the face with such tiny, almost imperceptible brushstrokes, it’s like he’s mapping every contour, every shadow, with painstaking precision. It’s not just about likeness, it’s like he’s trying to capture the very essence of Minton's being through the act of painting itself. The surface has this almost translucent quality, especially around the eyes and mouth. You can almost feel the weight of the paint, the years of layering and blending. Then there are moments where the brushwork becomes more apparent, like in the hair, where you can see the individual strands built up with tiny dabs of pigment. The way Freud renders the eyes is almost unnerving. They seem to follow you around the room, filled with a mixture of vulnerability and intensity. Freud reminds me of Holbein, in that he is just so dedicated to the process of looking. It’s more than just representation; it’s a deep dive into the human condition.