Painter and Model 1987

Lucian Freud made this painting of a painter and their model, it is not known when, or with what. The colours are drab, earthy, and feel like they have been excavated. You can almost smell the linseed oil. The paint is thickly applied, capturing the physicality of the scene – the weight of the model in the chair, the slight awkwardness of the painter. Look at the exposed tubes of paint and discarded brushes on the floor - they’re strewn as if to suggest the art-making process is not always a clean or straightforward one. The model’s leg, pale and solid against the worn leather of the chair, tells a story of time and intimacy. The texture of the chair is incredible too, the way it's ripped is like another character in the scene. Freud’s work reminds me of Francis Bacon – that unflinching gaze and raw depiction of the human form. Both artists invite us to see beyond the surface, to confront the complexities and imperfections of existence.