Wasteground with Houses, Paddington 1972

Lucian Freud made "Wasteground with Houses, Paddington" with oil on canvas. The layers of earthy color feel so considered, like Freud knew exactly how much grime and shadow each tone could hold. Looking closely, I can see the painting’s texture is as gritty as the scene, but that's down to the way the brushstrokes build up, rather than thick paint. He’s not hiding anything here. The precision in the architecture is offset by the wild, scrubby strokes of the wasteground. I keep coming back to the small tree in the center—the way it fights for space amid the debris feels almost defiant, even hopeful, rendered with a surprising tenderness. Freud’s early work, with its precise lines and muted palette, always reminds me of artists like Balthus; both share a similar intensity of vision. But with Freud, there's always a sense that he's grappling with something more, something just out of reach.