A Man and his Daughter 1964

This square painting shows a man and his daughter, by Lucian Freud; no date given. Freud’s portraits aren't about flattery. He's not trying to capture a perfect likeness, but something deeper, something about their inner state. Look at the way he builds up the faces with these fleshy, almost sculptural strokes. The paint is thick, layered, like he's carving into the canvas. And those colors, those raw, almost brutal pinks and reds. It's like he's exposing their vulnerability. I wonder what Freud was thinking as he painted this. Was he trying to capture the bond between father and daughter? Or was he exploring something more unsettling? There’s a sense of unease here, a feeling of emotional complexity. In the end, it’s a reminder that painting is about seeing, feeling, and thinking – all at once.