Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lucian Freud (1922-2011)
Sigmund's grandson (who emigrated from Nazi Germany as a boy) puts every detail on
the couch for analysis, then reassembles them into works that are still surprisingly realistic.
His subjects look you right in the eye, slightly on edge. Even the plants create an ominous
mood. Everything is in sharp focus (unlike in real life, where you concentrate on one thing
while your peripheral vision is blurred). Thick brushwork is especially good at capturing
the pallor of British flesh.
In the great tradition of British portrait painting, Freud recently did an unflinching
(and controversial) portrait of Queen Elizabeth.
Bridget Riley (b. 1931)
The pioneer of Op Art paints patterns of lines and alternating colors that make the eye
vibrate (the way a spiral will “spin”) when you stare at them. These obscure, scientific
experiments in human optics suddenly became trendy in the psychedelic, cannabis-fueled
1960s. Like, wow.
