Francis Bacons Three Studies of Lucien Freud an Icon of Twentieth-Century Painting - Essay Example

College: Portrait painting The art of painting takes many forms, which gives rise to a variety of different works. The classification of the artworks varies depending on the figures in the painting and the type of arrangement that the figures take. Many artists specialize in a certain genre of painting which identifies their artworks. Artists may choose to do human, nature, abstract or any other form of painting. These different forms of painting typify the categories of paintings into what is called genres. One of the genres of paintings that many artists specialize in is human paintings. In these paintings, artists may depict a figure or many figures in one painting in different ways. The most popular genre of human paintings is portrait painting. Portrait painting is a type of genre where the manifestation of artistic expression focuses on depicting the characteristics of a human subject in full. The intention of the painter is to embody the subject as if it were real. Artists specializing in portrait painting try to capture the likeness, personality, mood and even the social class of the subject in question. Mostly artists try to create a link between the person viewing the portrait and its subject. Human subjects are painted in a manner that they seem to directly stare at the viewer. This enables the viewer to engage with the subject and enable them to discern as many characteristics as possible out of the painting. Portrait paintings always depict subjects in a still position. However, portrait paintings differ on the size and the length of the body they decide to capture in their paintings. Portraits are usually representation of important individuals in the life of artists or the society. Sometimes, portrait paintings have been used to represent powerful individuals like rulers. Portrait painting is the oldest genre of painting that depict human subjects. As early as the Egyptian time, portraits were painted representing important people like kings and nobles. With time, portrait paintings have evolved and taken different representation, interpretation and forms. Currently, many countries have an official portrait of the leader that is used nationwide. Some of the portraits painted by famous artists include; Three Studies of Lucian Freud painting by Francis Bacon painted in 1969, Portrait of a Lady painting of 1760-70 by Francois Boucher, and Portrait of Madame De Nittis painting by Edgar Degas painted in circa 1872. Three Studies of Lucien Freud painting is one of the many portrait paintings painted by the British painter Francis Bacon. It was one of the many collections of portraits that depict a fellow artist that Bacon painted. Painted on oil on canvas in 1969, it is a triptych that depicts bacon’s friend and fellow painter Lucien Freud. The painting is a combination of three different canvasses, each depicting Lucien Freud sited on a wooden chair in a cage (Millot and Paton n.pag). One of Freud’ leg is placed on the chair while the other is on the ground. This was a characteristic of Bacon’s typical conceptual, distorted and secluded style, which he used on many of the paintings. Bacon paintings depict other fellow painters in such a style. The cage is sited on a brown surface. The background of the painting is orange in color. At the back of the cage, there is a headboard typically from a bed. Perhaps, the style employed by Bacon in his artworks depicts and typify the life of the artists as lonely and secluded. The three canvasses that form the painting were all drawn at the same time. Bacon had a big studio at Royal College of Art in London, which could house and hold the three canvasses at the same time adjacent to each other. The creativity of the portrait was portrayed by Bacon’s admiration of the painting. It was one of his favorite, which depicts the painter’s achievement as a portrait artist. Although, it is hard to pick out characteristics of the subject, the painting is still classified as a portrait as it captures some of the Freud’s characteristics. Like other Bacon’s paintings, the unique depiction of human subjects in three adjacent canvasses outlined Bacon’s way of painting portraits (Millot and Paton n.pag). Portrait of Madame De Nittis painting is oil on canvas painting that depicts a woman slacked in a wooden chair. Painted by Edgar Degas in circa 1872, the portrait is one of the many Madame De Nittis paintings that characterize Degas as a portrait painter and litter his painting career. It seems that Degas was obsessed with women subjects as a characteristic of many of his artworks. The portrait is perceived to be a representation of Giornata D’Inverno. Ritratto Della Signora De Nittis. The woman legs are stretched forward due to the posture she assumes in the seat. The painting shows heavy brushwork and coloring, which were a characteristic of Degas paintings. Arms stretched, the woman seems to stare at something far ahead, in an absent-minded stare. The background is brownish in color, occasionally broken by shades of fading white color. The woman is in a robe whose colors range from black, brown, and fading blue. Most of these characteristics are as a result of heavy coloring and thick strokes of brush that characterize Degas’ artworks (Degas n.pag). Degas was an Impressionist painter, although most of the artworks employ a different type of style from the common Impressionist paintings. Despite the self-criticism that Degas applied to his work, he was an accomplished impressionist painter, whose influence radiated to other artists. Degas artworks are characterized by heavy brushwork, perhaps due to the self-criticism the artist subjected the artworks to. Degas’ indirect painting, which involved unplanned pictorial improvisation made many of the artworks appear heavy in brushwork. Degas is said to have an addiction of revising the earlier artworks refreshing, resizing, changing and even removing the paint in order to refresh the works. It was this addiction that enabled Degas to produce Impressionist paintings with heavy coloring. Degas painting captures the characteristics of the woman subject in a manner that is indirect and a representation of his characteristic style (Growe 17). Francois Boucher’s Portrait of a Lady is one of the portrait paintings that clearly depict the characteristics of a human subject. Originally, the painting was known as ‘The Marquise de Pompadour’. The exact date of completion of the painting is not known but it was painted between the years 1760 and 1770. Madame de Pompadour was Boucher’s patroness and the painting was originally believed to have been dedicated to her. The painting depicts a beautiful lady holding flowers. The painting pays attention to the finer details of the subject in trying to bring out the feminine characteristics of the subject (Boucher n.pag). At the time of the painting, artists specialized in depicting the facial characteristics of feminine subjects and the painting is said to be less precise record as compared to the paintings of that time. The style was known as Rococo style and it was characterized by representation of idealized portrait paintings of femininity through exploitation of facial features. Although its oil on canvas painting, the Rococo style painting was a highly representative painting of femininity. The painting that depicts Madame de Pompadour, the mistress to King Louis IX, was a reminiscent of the Rococo style, which came to be associated with Boucher and Madame de Pompadour. The painting is a reflection of Boucher’s idyllic, voluptuous and decorative allegories of women subjects (Hyde and Boucher 94-97). Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucien Freud painting is considered a portrait but it lacks the necessary characteristics of a portrait. The painting, though a human subject painting deviates from a portrait by failing to reveal the crucial details of the mood, likeness and personality of the subject. Further, the representation of the painting as a combination of three different paintings overrides the efficacy of portraiture. From the painting, it is difficult to tell the subject’s mood, class or any other characteristics that defines portraits. Portrait of Madame De Nittis painting by Edgar Degas shows some characteristics of portrait painting. From the painting, it is possible to depict the mood, likeness and gender of the subject. Further, the subject’s posture can reveal the class of the subject. The painting ennobles the sitter and from the sitting posture it is possible to depict the status of the subject as that of a noble woman. The woman seems to be serious and absent-minded from the stare. Boucher’s painting has all the characteristics of a portrait painting. The painting engages the viewer from the direct stare and the profound characteristics it possesses. It is possible to relate the painting to a certain individual in real life. The painting can also reveal the character of the subject. The close attention paid to the facial features outrightly identifies the gender of the subject as female. Further, the painting relates to a certain individual thus creating an identity that cannot be confused. The class of the subject can also be revealed from the painting. The dressing and looks belong to a female in a higher class of the society. The portrait flatters the sitter in the emphasis the painting lays on the subject facial looks. The subject appears to be of a higher social status in the society. All the paintings seem to represent a human subject who was influential in the lives of the artist. In conclusion, the genre of portrait painting has been exploited from the medieval periods to current period. Artists have struggled to depict human subjects in likeness of living individuals. Portrait painting has had many transformations, with different paintings preferring and using different styles to represent human subjects. Portrait paintings have characteristics that depict likeness to a certain individual, the mood of the human subject, and other characteristics like class, status among others. On many occasions, portraits have been the subject of representation of individuals who are importance to the artists. Although, many portraits do not meet the standards defined for portraits, depiction of human subjects, whether in full, half, or without visible characteristics is still referred to as portraits. Works cited Edgar, Degas: The Complete Works. 4 Mar. 2014 Francois Boucher: The Complete Works. 4 Mar. 2014 Growe, Bernd. Degas. London: Taschen, 2001. Print. Hyde, Melissa and Boucher Francois. Making up the Rococo: François Boucher and His Critics. New York: Getty Publishers, 2006. Print. Millot, Capucine and Paton, Matthew. Release: Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucien Freud an Icon of Twentieth Century Painting. Christie’s, 2013. 4 Mar. 2014 Read More