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I want paint to work as flesh.
Lucian Freud
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote expresses the desire for paint to embody the quality and realism of flesh.

Lucian Freud, a prominent painter known for his intense and realistic portraits, emphasizes in this quote the importance of achieving a lifelike representation in his artwork. By wanting paint to work as flesh, he conveys his aspiration to create art that captures the essence and texture of human skin, suggesting a deep connection between the medium and the subject's humanity.

Themes

ArtPaintingRealismFleshLucian Freud

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used during an art lecture to discuss the importance of realism in painting.

More from Lucian Freud

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.
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When 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.
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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.
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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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