Estudiante

Kara Vines
Sept. 13 2011
ART 291

Art Review Summary
In the art review titled, “Everything Was Autobiographical” by William Feaver in ARTnews, Feaver discusses two paintings, Sunny Morning -Eight Legs (1997) and The Hound (2011), both by the late Lucian Freud, a well known figure painter. Feaver talks about how both paintings emphasize the lighting of the figures, and the compositions ofthe paintings. Each painting features Freud’s assistant, David Dawson, and a whippet, sleeping or relaxing on a white bed in a simple room together. The settings and the positioning of the figures andthe dogs shows that the bond between the two are very strong, so strong that the men and the dogs are comfortable in the presence of each other. This can be seen with the nudity of the men and theclose proximity each figure has with their dog. Based on how Feaver speaks about Freud and the paintings, he greatly respected him and his work. Feaver describes Freud as an artist who gave everypainting he worked on his entire effort and energy into creating, so that if he died, he could leave his paintings in a good state of completion. Feaver also talks about how Freud’s paintings would capturethe likeness of his models and how Freud’s attention to detail and lighting allowed him to create something never observed before. At the end of the art review, Feaver says that Freud focused his lastcreative energy in painting The Hound and gave it small, but distinctive characteristics and charm to the painting.
From looking at the two paintings, I see all that Feaver is talking about withthem, especially with the lighting on the figures and the skin tones. In Sunny Morning – Eight Legs, the light that is hitting the man is very intense causing his skin to appear just as bright andwhite as the white sheets on the bed. In The Hound, I think Freud captured the change of tanned skin tones really well with the painterly brush strokes. Another aspect I noticed that the paintings have...