Lucian Freud Herbarium
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Prestel
Published:5th Sep '19
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Lucian Freud’s portraits are known for their spectacular detail and unflinching gaze. Although Freud brought the same qualities to his paintings and drawings of plants, flowers, and landscapes, these are largely unknown. This elegant book shows how working with plants emboldened Freud to experiment with style and composition. Reproduced in sumptuous plates that allow readers to indulge in exquisite detail, seventy-five works – including Two Plants, Bananas, Cyclamen, The Painter’s Garden, and Interior at Paddington – reveal Freud’s singular approach to plant life. Readers unfamiliar with this aspect of Freud’s work will find many similarities to his portraits – earthy palettes, unconventional rawness, and assiduous attention to detail. From the delicate realism of the cyclamens’ petals to the bold brushstrokes that immortalize his overgrown garden, readers will appreciate Freud’s ability to portray plants in new and personal ways. Comparative illustrations from throughout art history accompany essays on the history of plants in art and an appreciation of Freud’s oeuvre. This monograph is a tremendous contribution to Freud’s legacy, one that will enrich his admirers’ discernment while also introducing his thoroughly original depictions of plants to a new audience.
"Whatever one thinks of Freud’s nudes, it may come as a surprise to learn that he was also a minor producer of still-lifes. This book presents 75 paintings and drawings of plants—some still-lifes per se and others works in which plants are generously displayed... a thorough introduction to Freud's plant works" —The Art Newspaper
"The year’s most intriguingly sidelong take on the painter is entitled Lucian Freud Herbarium. Written by Giovanni Aloi, it begins with a potted history of plants in art, and then examines Freud’s own use of plants, flowers, and vegetation in many of his paintings." —Hyperallergic
"...illuminating... Aloi’s focus on plants makes one look again at familiar paintings and provides the opportunity to view others, many of them from private collections, that are equally extraordinary but comparatively little known." –The Spectator
"...bringing together the artist's paintings and drawings of plants...allows us insight into the quality and nature of Lucian Freud's looking, and through it to find pathos and subtlety in his portraits." —ArtDesk
"Giovanni Aloi is a knowledgeable companion, having written previoulsy on botany and art. He outlines the history of botanical art and the significance of plants in symbolism in art. He discusses the significance plants had for Freud the artist. His intelligent commentary and familiarity with Freud's life and output is well Judged and reliable. Herbarium is sure to bring pleasure to Freud fans and aficionados of realist (and Expressionist) art and is warmly recommended." —Alexander Adams
"This is a beautiful and intriguing book that adds a new dimension to one of the towering greats of British art of the Twentieth Century and does its subject more than ample justice." —Art Book Review
"As with all good scholarly works, the reader is left so convinced of the value of the subject matter that one is surprised it hasn't garnered more critical attantion already" —BlouinArtInfo
"This is a thorough and comprehensive work that includes not only some of Freud's figure painting as a basis for comparison, but also a handy history of plants in art... a beautiful and fascinating book that adds to our appreciation of a much-loved artist." —The Artist
ISBN: 9783791385334
Dimensions: 314mm x 257mm x 23mm
Weight: 1503g
176 pages