Palm Tree 1944

Lucian Freud made this drawing of a Palm Tree. He renders a somewhat spiky palm with drypoint etching and a little color, resulting in something that feels both meticulous and kind of prickly. I think about Freud, known for his intense scrutiny of the human form, turning his gaze to a plant. What did he see in this tree? Maybe he liked the challenge of capturing the texture of the trunk, those myriad overlapping marks almost like scales, or the sharpness of the leaves. It’s like a portrait, isn't it? The light seems to catch the leaves in a pale dance, but there's also a sense of loneliness, or maybe just quiet observation. You can feel his hand moving slowly, deliberately, trying to understand something about this living thing in front of him. It makes me want to go look more closely at the trees in my neighborhood! It’s all connected.