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.
Lucian FreudRead
And, since the model he faithfully copies is not going to be hung up next to the picture, since the picture is going to be there on its own, it is of no interest whether it is an accurate copy of the model.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that the originality of art takes precedence over mere imitation of reality.
In this quote, Lucian Freud expresses the idea that the true value of a painting lies not in its adherence to a specific model or reference, but in its individual qualities and the emotions it evokes. This highlights the importance of creative expression in art, where the final piece stands on its own merit rather than being judged solely by how accurately it reproduces its subject matter.
Themes
ArtOriginalityExpressionCreativityImitation
In practice
Example use cases
An art gallery discussion about the value of unique interpretations in art.
More from Lucian Freud
All quotes →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.
Lucian FreudRead
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.
Lucian FreudRead
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
Similar quotes
In an artist's life, death is perhaps not the most difficult thing.
Vincent Van GoghRead
People think that my favorite roles to do are villains, but I find comedy to be the most challenging and rewarding.
Christopher WalkenRead
Look, Hollywood's a mecca, but it's not the final answer. You pick up a camera anyplace in the world, you can make a movie.
Robert DuvallRead
And I taught acting for years, and without knowing it that was the real thing that started bending me toward directing.
Sydney PollackRead
There's always been a separation between fashion and what I call my 'deeper' work. Fashion is where I make my living. I'm not knocking it. It's a pleasure to make a living that way. It's pleasure and then there's the deeper pleasure of doing my portraits. It's not important what I consider myself to be, but I consider myself to be a portrait photographer.
Richard AvedonRead
Piece by piece, I fed my wardrobe to the night wind, and flutteringly, like a loved one’s ashes, the gray scraps were ferried off, to settle here, there, exactly where I would never know, in the dark heart of New York.
Sylvia PlathRead