Bruce Bernard 1992

Lucian Freud painted this portrait of Bruce Bernard in oils, and there's a real sense of him feeling his way into the image. It's all about the process, the way he builds up the figure with these thick, tactile strokes. The materiality of this painting is really something. You can almost feel the weight of the paint, the way it sits on the canvas. Freud isn't trying to hide anything; he's letting the medium speak for itself. Look at the way he renders the pile of discarded fabrics to the right of the figure – such an expressive passage! And notice how these strokes contrast with the relative smoothness of Bernard's shirt and jacket. It's like Freud is exploring different ways of seeing, different ways of being in the world. In some ways, Freud reminds me of Courbet, with his emphasis on the body and the everyday. But there’s also something uniquely Freudian here, a kind of raw honesty that stays with you long after you’ve left the gallery.