Since the model he so faithfully copies is not going to be hung up next to the picture... it is of no interest whether it is an accurate copy of the model.
Lucian FreudRead
As far as I am concerned the paint is the person. I want it to work for me just as flesh does
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the deep connection between an artist and their medium, suggesting that paint can convey the essence of a person just as flesh does.
Lucian Freud's statement reflects his belief in the intimate relationship between the artist and their materials. He suggests that, for him, paint is not just a tool but an extension of the subject, capable of expressing the same depth and individuality that flesh conveys in a person. In this way, Freud elevates the act of painting to a personal and emotive engagement where the medium takes on a life of its own.
Themes
ArtPaintingExpressionMediumIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire artists during workshops to deepen their relationship with their materials.
More from Lucian Freud
All quotes βWhen I look at a body it gives me choice of what to put in a painting, what will suit me and what won't. There is a distinction between fact and truth. Truth has an element of revelation about it. If something is true, it does more than strike one as merely being so.
Lucian FreudRead
It is the only point of getting up every morning: to paint, to make something good, to make something even better than before, not to give up, to compete, to be ambitious.
Lucian FreudRead
The character of the artist doesn't enter into the nature of the art
Lucian FreudRead
I paint people, not because of what they are like, not exactly in spite of what they are like, but how they happen to be.
Lucian FreudRead
I could never put anything into a picture that wasn't actually there in front of me. That would be a pointless lie, a mere bit of artfulness.
Lucian FreudRead
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A picture is poem without words.
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