Art

Lucian Freud

Lucian Freud's "The Painter's Etchings." is at the Museum of Modern Art. Freud's prints are very stark and interesting, which is why he has his reputation. He makes the people look real, but helpless, and even sad, sometimes. His prints are very detailed, and they show the insides of the people, as if he has made them comfortable enough to be who they really are. None of his etchings look happy though, and maybe this is because he does not see the world as a happy place. His reputation comes because he can make the people look like themselves, very real, but because his etchings are detailed and very graphic, too. They sometimes seem like cartoons, and so many people like them.

The etching I compare is "Garden in Winter." I choose this etching because it is different from the rest, and is not what you think of when you think of an etching, usually. Usually, his etchings are of people, but this is of a dramatic garden that is dark and empty in winter. This etching shows the detail that goes into an etching, and it shows another dark subject that the artist seems to like. There is something scary about this garden, and it is not pleasant to look at, and yet, it is hard not to look at it.

A compare with his "Reflection," a self-portrait. Really, this painting looks very much like Freud's etchings, only it is in color. He uses very thick coat of paint, so it builds up on the canvas and makes texture, and he creates shadows and drama with this technique. In etchings, he creates texture with big lines and tiny details, which he also does here. The painting is just as sad looking as the etchings, so they are common there, too. There is something scary about this painting too, and it is not easy to look at, just like the etching of garden. I think his reputation is because of this darkness and strangeness in his works. He makes things look normal and also abnormal somehow, and I think that is what he is known for.