Woman in a White Shirt 1957

Lucian Freud painted this, “Woman in a White Shirt,” and just look at the skin! The hues and tones aren’t necessarily flattering, but damn are they affecting. I imagine Freud, cigarette in mouth, squinting, mixing ochre, sienna, and maybe even a touch of violet, trying to nail the way light both reveals and conceals. It's like he's excavating the face, not just recording it. The paint’s not thick, but the strokes, they’re purposeful, aren't they? There’s one right under her eye, a dab of grey, that just floors me; it speaks volumes. You see, Freud wasn't trying to pretty things up; he was after something deeper, something more… true. He owes something to Rembrandt, for sure. And maybe he’s telling us that beauty isn't about perfection but about honesty, and about conversation. After all, we are all painters responding to our own time.