Resting on the Green Chair 2000

Lucian Freud paints a nude, resting on a green chair, probably sometime in the late 20th century. The brushwork is so physical, it's like he's sculpting with paint. The surface is a topography of thick impasto, built up in layers, flesh tones fighting with the dark green of the chair. It’s impossible to ignore the physicality of the medium. Look at the woman's left foot, how it grasps onto the right. Each toe is meticulously formed from thick paint, capturing the tension and weight. The gesture is so intimate, so raw, like a silent conversation between body parts. Freud reminds me of artists like Paula Rego in the way he fearlessly explores the human form, in all its vulnerability and imperfection. He shows us that art doesn’t have to be pretty to be beautiful. It just has to be real.