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
I would wish my portraits to be of the people, not like them. Not having a look of the sitter, being them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lucian Freud emphasizes capturing the essence of a person rather than their physical appearance in portraiture.
In this quote, Lucian Freud conveys his philosophy of portrait painting, suggesting that true art transcends mere likeness. He believes that a portrait should reflect the subject's inner self and character, allowing the viewer to connect with the person on a deeper level, rather than just their outward features.
Themes
ArtPortraitEssencePaintingSelf
In practice
Example use cases
During a gallery opening, one could quote Freud to spark conversation about the deeper meaning behind portrait art.
More from Lucian Freud
All quotes βWhen 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
When I write, what I long for is not more realism or fiction but more courage. That's what I always find myself short on and what I have to struggle to achieve in order that the work might live.
Junot DiazRead
My #1 job as a thriller author is to give readers the best white-knuckle thrill ride I am capable of. I am first and foremost in the entertainment business. If that suspenseful ride is also terrifying because it hits really close to home, then I am once again doing what I am supposed to do as a thriller author.
Brad ThorRead
Art is an invention of aesthetics, which in turn is an invention of philosophers... What we call art is a game.
Octavio PazRead
Didn't you know I'm going to be the greatest, most entertaining author and artist in the world? Well, don't feel badly, I didn't either!
Sylvia PlathRead
I was told stories, we were all told stories as kids in Nigeria. We had to tell stories that would keep one another interested, and you weren't allowed to tell stories that everybody else knew. You had to dream up new ones.
Ben OkriRead
The Actor should make you forget the existence of author and director, and even forget the actor.
Paul ScofieldRead