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Lucien
Freud

United Kingdom • 1922−2011

Biography and information

Biography of Lucien Freud (Lucian Michael Freud) is full of paradoxes. He was a rebel, breaking the rules at every opportunity, and managed to live to be 88 years. All his life he was reserved and secretive, but was wildly popular among the women and told them to reciprocate. His private life has become a byword, but he about it was never extended. Freud rarely gave interviews and were jealous of their personal space from the press and from strangers. His fame resounded around the world, but in the artist's life were not written any biographical book about him.

Freud was often rude, intemperate language, he was involved in a fight and drink and squandered big money at the races. But he knew how to be gentle, loyal and caring towards people, they were really expensive. Friends and relatives at the request of the artist for many years guarded the integrity of his personal life. Some of them began to reminisce about Freud only after his death, and some silent still. Anyway, despite the complex nature of the artist, apparently, was a great favorite of Fate. For 88 years, she took him with different people that influenced his life, and he was often left an indelible mark in their stories. Lucien Freud always tried to stay in the shadows, as if hiding behind his paintings and strongly implying that the people he draws, much more important than himself. So it makes sense to talk about it, talking about others.

Adolf Hitler

It is unknown as it has evolved the lives of Freud, if in the 30-ies in Germany came to power this failed artist. The son of a successful architect Ernst Ludwig Freud, Lucien birth lived in prosperity and never needed money. He could follow in the footsteps of his father, or for example, become a prominent industrialist, if not of Jewish origin. In 1933 parents Freud wisely reasoned that prevails in the country sentiment should not expect anything good, and immigrated to England. Other family members were less fortunate. Four aunts Ernst (sisters of Sigmund Freud) were killed in concentration camps during the Holocaust.

As an adult, Freud said that once saw Adolf Hitler and even photographed it. It happened in the Park, where nine-year-old Lucien walked with her governess. The artist recalled how he was struck by this strange sight: a very small man, surrounded by a huge guards. He admitted that this way all his life remained for him a symbol of fascism.

Francis Bacon

By the beginning of 1940-ies Freud had already been a student in two UK schools and miserably to leave the last for obscenity (Lucien on dispute pulled off his pants when the people). Replacing several art schools, Freud completely disappointed in academic education and reasoned that it simply is not necessary. And kindled a dream to become a sailor. He quickly made friends with other sailors, nolavconsole to make tattoos, but the first flight ended for Lucien severe tonsillitis, which put an end to Maritime career. Had nowhere to go, had to become an artist.

With Francis Bacon Freud met in the mid-1940s, and since then, according to his confession, they met every day for 25 years. They were United by a love of drinking, gambling and drunken brawls. However, in addition, both artists gave each other a very strong influence and professionally. It is from the beginning of their friendship started to form its own unique style of work of each of them. Freud wrote several portraits of bacon: early - in a hyperbolic manner peculiar to him early in his career, later - in the already recognizable style, realistic and detailed. Bacon, in turn, perpetuated the other in several of his famous triptychs if twisting the face of Freud's inside out and turning it into a scary devil mask1, 2, 3, 4). The friendship ended in the early 1970s, when two of the artist, apparently, couldn't give each other anything new. Freud, who never hesitated in expressions, spoke of the recent work of bacon terrible, and then they stopped all communication.


Women and children

About love Affairs Freud was legendary, which he, of course, never confirmed, but not refuted. As for children, the artist, it seems, himself did not know how many women he could bestow. Officially Freud recognized 14 children, but rumor has it that there have been about 40. However, if it was something they gave, does that famous last name, and some creativity. The artist has never really sought to close the communication with children, although grown daughters and posed for him, including naked. Writer Esther Freud said: "For me it was the only way to know it".

In memory of two short-lived marriages Freud remained only a few portraits of his wives (Kitty Garman and lady Caroline Blackwood and a couple of lines in a very stingy biographical information. Lady Caroline, however, not without pride said that was the only woman who broke the heart of Freud. After divorcing her, he began to drink, to play at the races and thinking about suicide. From this state, the artist then was able to pull only his friend Francis bacon.

The only constant in the personal life of Lucian Freud was his mother, Lucy, who was supported by her son throughout his career. The woman is very hard suffered the death of Ernst Freud in 1970 and tried several times to commit suicide. Having no other way to help her, Freud begins to write her portraits and does not stop long 12 years, until her death. The artist is not trying to stop time or to prevent the inevitable departure of a loved one. He just meticulously documents each wrinkle, each pigment spot, every gray hair. And after drawing the mother of a total of four thousand hours, he still managed to prolong her life (portraits of mother 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Whether Bowery

Chief creative achievement Freud considered his paintings depicting many naked women. Some viewers saw them misogyny, other - adoration and worship of the feminine. However, the top career Freud began a few portraits of extraordinary men.
Lee Bowery, flamboyant designer, artist and showman (his style and work in his time had a strong influence on Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen), my entire adult life working on his image. He did not go outside without bright makeup, changing the face beyond recognition, and more than extravagant outfits. This image was sort of protective mask for open gay impressive proportions. If the picture painted by Freud in 1991 was not called "Whether The Bowery" to learn depicted a man could do what his close friends. The artist seems to be blotted out with his model not only the paint, but each layer of the protective sheath, leaving the mind of the ordinary man in his primeval insecurity and striking beauty.

Freud was a perfectionist and wrote each portrait is not one month. His model, the weary hours of posing, often fell asleep on the couch in the Studio, setting more trusting relationship with the artist. It seems that this is the moment when Freud and captured the Bowery on the first portrait. If we make an analogy with the famous father of the artist, the sofa in his Studio often compared to the daybed in the office of the psychoanalyst. With the difference that Lucien Freud helped to escape is not the consciousness of their models, and their bodies, inexplicably removing people from shame and self-dissatisfaction. Recent collaborative work with the Bowery was the picture "Whether under the sunlight" (1994), depicting the designer completely naked in full growth. Shortly thereafter, the Bowery died from AIDS, surrounded by the few friends who knew about his illness. And his place in the Studio Freud took a social worker Sue Tilley, which would later make the artist a record.

Big sue recalls: "Sometimes he was talkative, sometimes very quiet. He said terrible things about people, but never noticed his rudeness. I always envied him, he did only what he wanted. He was funny, miserable, terrible, kind, mean, generous... In one man were all traits".