Francis Wyndham 1993

Lucian Freud painted this portrait, 'Francis Wyndham' with oil on canvas. Look at how Freud builds up the face of Wyndham with layers of small brushstrokes. It's almost like he's sculpting the face with paint. The texture is so important here, the way the paint sits on the surface, thick and almost raw. You can almost feel the weight of the years in those lines and creases around the eyes and mouth. I can almost smell the paint. I find the slightly melancholic tone of this painting very appealing. Freud's willingness to show the unvarnished truth of human existence reminds me a little of Alice Neel, another artist who wasn't afraid to show the realness of people, the vulnerabilities, the imperfections. It’s a reminder that art is often at its best when it embraces ambiguity, and holds space for multiple interpretations.