Girl in Bed 1952

Lucian Freud made this small painting, Girl in Bed, with oil on canvas and it's now in a private collection. The colours are muted, almost like a memory, and the marks are built up carefully, like layers of skin. You can really see his process, like he’s thinking out loud with the paint. The texture is amazing – see how the paint is thin in some places, almost transparent, and thicker in others, creating a real sense of depth? The way he renders the girl's skin tones feels almost forensic. It’s like he’s examining every freckle, every vein. I love the way he painted her hand, resting on the crumpled white sheets. Each finger is so carefully observed, like a little landscape of wrinkles and shadows. It's so intimate, you feel like you're right there in the room with her. I’m reminded of Alice Neel, in the way that Freud takes an unflinching look at his sitters. It's like he's saying, "This is what it is to be human, in all its messy, imperfect glory." Art isn't about perfection, it’s about seeing and feeling and making something real.