Still Life (Quinces) 1982

Editor: Here we have Lucian Freud’s "Still Life (Quinces)" from 1982. The thick impasto of the oil paint gives the fruit a sort of…worn feeling. They don't look idealized, but almost bruised. What do you make of this approach? Curator: Exactly. It challenges the conventional notion of the still life. Consider how often fruit is depicted as ripe, seductive, a symbol of bounty and fertility. Freud’s quinces resist this easy symbolism. Think about the time, 1982; the AIDS crisis was emerging. Are these decaying fruits a commentary on mortality and the body in crisis, moving beyond mere representation? Editor: That's an interesting perspective. So you're seeing it as a potential metaphor rather than just an observation of everyday objects? Curator: Precisely. Freud, known for his unflinching portrayals of the human figure, brings that same gaze to these inanimate objects. The fruit, normally symbolic of life, seems to bear the marks of time, even decay. How might this connect to anxieties of the period? Do you notice how they are displayed, crammed into that bowl, devoid of space? What message do you think Freud sends here? Editor: I see what you mean. The composition itself almost feels oppressive, and it’s interesting how those details invite interpretations of the piece that reach beyond face value, like its own form of quiet protest. Curator: Right, the quietness can also speak volumes about that which is hard to look at in plain sight. That, for me, is the most interesting about still-life work like Freud's. Editor: Thanks, I’ll definitely be seeing still-lifes in a different light now.