Lucian Freud: the ruthless genius

Abstract

Lucian Freud’s value as a painter goes much beyond his condition of being Sigmund Freud’s grandson. Experts see him as one of the key contemporary artists. His work penetrates the viewer and leaves a lasting impression, seldom related to pure aesthetic beauty. Characters in his paintings provide us with a bridge to explore human frailty and despair, and often convey us a sort of naked truth. His life deserves a close inspection to understand his creative process, his personal demons, and his complex relational life. Here we explore key episodes of his life, linking them to his preferred topics and settings. Also we try to understand how his paintings suggest possible paths to learn about his inner world. Extraordinary technical prowess combines with an uncompromising and dispassionate gaze to produce an outstanding life and work, full of ruthlessness to others, and to himself.

Key words:

• Lucian Freud
• art
• psychoanalysis

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Torres

Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Torres, MD, PhD, is a training analyst at the Centro Psicoanalítico de Madrid and also works at the Department of Neuroscience of the University of the Basque Country, and the Psychiatry Service of Basurto University Hospital, Bilbao, Spain. His main clinical and research interests are psychosis and personality disorder, especially psychoanalytic approaches to these problems.

Aranzazu Fernandez-Rivas

Aranzazu Fernandez-Rivas, MD, PhD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and psychotherapist. She works at the Department of Neuroscience of the University of the Basque Country and the Psychiatry Service of Basurto University Hospital, Bilbao, Spain. Her main clinical and research interests are conduct disorders and personality disorders in adolescents.