32 ARTS
THEWEEK2November 2019
Art
LucianFreud(1922-2011)was
notoriouslyhardonhismodels,
saidNancyDurrantinTheTimes.
Hiswretchedsitterswouldbe
obligedtoholdtheir(oftennude)
poses“forhours,overmonths,
ofteninexcruciatingpositions”,
infearofinflamingtheartist’s
infamouslyvicioustemper.Yethe
alsosubjectedhimselftothesame
“piercinglyfrankgaze”,frequently
lookinginthemirrortocreateharsh
andunforgivingself-portraits.This
thrillingnewexhibitionattheRoyal
Academyisthefirstevertofocus
onFreud’sself-portraiture,bringing
togethermorethan 50 paintings,
printsanddrawingstocharthis
remarkableseven-decadecareer.
Takinga“broadlychronological”
approach,theshowtracesFreud’s
developmentfromhisfirst,hesitant
teenagesketchesin the1940s
through tothe anguished,masterful
oilpaintingshe createdin hisfinal
decades.Itisagrippingtestament
toFreud’s“obsession withprecise
observation”.
Freud’searlyworks display a
“playfulcuriosity”,saidAlastair
SmartinTheDailyTelegraph.In one
19 48 self-portrait, “wepractically
look uptheartist’snostrils”, while
19 47’sStillLifewithGreenLemon
hastheartist’sfacepokingaround acorner, witha“humongous”
greenleafas the painting’sfocus.Butover thedecades,his
paintingsbecome“bigger,bolder
andmore expressive”,culminating
inasetoflateworksinwhichhe
subjectshimselfto“merciless”
scrutiny.PainterWorking,Reflection
(1993),forinstance,depictsthe
70-year-oldartist“nakedbutfor
apairofboots”,hisexpressionone
of“resignationandvulnerability”.
Yetthisexhibitionclearlyexposes
Freud’s“limitations”,saidMatthew
CollingsintheLondonEvening
Standard.Heworkedinonlytwo
styles:initially,poeticandstylised;
later,realistic,usingthicklyapplied
paint.Afterlookingathisworkfor
awhile,its“monotonousbleakness”
becomes“alienating”.
Thisexhibitioniscertainly
anuncomfortableexperience,said
EddyFrankelinTimeOut.But
Freud’sgreatness,fromthe 1950 s
on,isin nodoubt.In 1954 ’s
HotelBedroom,he“hoversinthe
shadows”behind his“forlorn”wife;
it isa“grimdepiction ofmarital
misery”.Inthebestworkshere,heis
barelyvisible atall:inTwoIrishmen
inW1 1 (1984),hefeaturesonlyas
asketchon twocanvasesbehind the
twomainsubjects;in the“standout”
painting,Flora withBlueToenails
(2001),he isreducedtoashadow
loomingover “apained,beautiful
youngwoman”.UglythoughFreud’swork often was,its “brutal,
unflinchinghonesty” isastonishinglypotent.
Exhibitionoftheweek Lucian Freud: The Self-portraits
Royal Academy, London W1 (020-7300 8090, royalacademy.org.uk). Until 26 January
To the modernviewer,the proto-pop
art collagesand bulky sculptures of
Eduardo Paolozzi(1924-2005) can
seemlike quai nt relicsofthe postwar
era. Yet whileit’s true that hisart may
not have agedaswell as thatofs ome
contemporaries,it would beamistake
to write hi mout of arthistory
altogether.HollowGodsbrings
togetherarepresentativeselection
of hi searlyworks on paperand
sculptures(roughlydatin gfrom 1946-
60), mixing in worksforsale with some
choice loans todemonstrate quite how
unusual Paolozzi’sworkmust have
seemed in thedrabBritish art world
of the late 1940s.The sculpturesare
towering, messy feats of metalwork,
morereminiscentof Giacometti than
the kitschy robot figures theartist
wouldcome tobe renowned for,
while thecollages–featuring images
cut from full-colour magazinestories
and adve rts –pre-emptRichard
Hamilton’smore celebrated forays
intothe fo rm,and herald theartistic
excitementsof th e1960s.Pricesrange
from£15,000to£350,000.
38 BuryStreet,London SW1
(020-783 97 600). Until 13 December.
Wheretobuy...
The Week reviews an
exhibition inaprivate gallery
Eduardo Paolozzi
at Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert
Untitled (1948), collage detail
Apreviously
unknownLucian
Freudsketchofa
horseistobesoldby
anunwhostruckup
anunlikelyfriendship
withthepainter,says
DalyaAlbergeinThe
Observer.Foryears,
thedrawinghasbeen
inthepossessionof
SisterMaryJoy
Langdon,who
runstheWormwood
ScrubsPonyCentreinwestLondon,which
Freudusedtovisittosketchhorses.Whenhe
firstturnedupin2002,hewasoneofthe
world’smostfamousartists,butthenun
mistookhimforanenthusiasticamateur:she
handedhimabeginner’sbookonhowtopaint
horses,whichhesoonreturned,ina
“gentlemanlyfashion”,saying,“It’svery
good.”Toraisefundsforhercharity,which
teache sridingtothosewithspecialneeds,Sister
MaryJoyhasnowdecidedtosellasketchhe
gaveher,ofaWelshcobcalledGoldie–foran
estimated£40,000to£60,000.Freud’sfavourite
horse,however,wasaskewbaldmarecalled
Sioux.Heusedtodonatemoneytothecentre,
inenvelopesmarked“ForSioux”.
Freud,thenunandthehorse
©THELUCIANFREUDARCHIVE/BRIDGEMANIMAGES;PAOLOZZIFOUNDATIONANDCOURTESYHAZLITTHOLLAND-HIBBERT;MARYJOYLANGDON
HotelBedroom(1954):“hoveringintheshadows”
