Lucian Freud and the Soul as Sphere

The Lightbox, Woking, Until 19 March 2023

By Carla Scarano

A hundred years after his birth, Lucian Freud is still one of the most significative painters in Britain and internationally. The selection of his artworks by the contemporary painter and curator of the exhibition, Samaya Critchlow, is featured alongside the work of her grandfather, Keith Critchlow (1933–2020), and other important painters of the 20^th century, such as Frank Auerbach, David Bomberg, Frank Bowling, Käthe Kollwitz and Leon Kossoff. This interesting juxtaposition gives us the chance to compare Freud’s pictures to those of other painters who developed different styles and aims.

Lucian Freud’s family, fleeing Nazi Germany, moved to London in 1933 when he was only ten. He studied art at Goldsmiths College then at the Central School of Art and established his own style in figurative paintings and portraits that is characterised by rich details, bold brushwork and thick textures. The exhibition not only displays his work in impressive paintings, drawings and etchings, but also connects his work with that of other painters in the section ‘The Soul as Sphere’ (from Critchlow’s book The Soul as Sphere and Androgyne) in a conversation that questions the production of art in terms of subject and style. In his portraits Freud established a relationship with the sitter at a psychological level that helped him have a profound knowledge of the subject and developed a personal interpretation that conveys a physicality emphasis on the body. The rendering of the flesh is very important in some of the paintings, as is the investigation of the personality of the subject, such as in Man Posing and Naked Girl. Humanity is revealed as vulnerable and significative at the same time because of its apparent decadence and solid presence in the picture.

Samaya Crichlow’s naked female figures convey a similar intention, exposing erotic sensuality and thought-provoking attitudes. Keith Crichlow has a more traditional approach. Among his most interesting works on display are the heads of his friend and fellow painter Frank Bowling that capture the personality of the sitter, who is lost in dreams while he is sleeping. Critchlow was a professor of architecture who taught at St Martin’s College and at the Royal College of Art. The exhibition pays homage to his work in comparison with other artists in a context that inevitably emphasises the mastery of the work of Lucian Freud, whose artistic production is prodigious compared to the artwork of the other artists on display. However, the main point of interest of the exhibition lies in the opportunity to connect and compare different styles and artistic developments.

Besides Keith Critchlow, whose work focuses on familiar figures and ordinary surroundings and follows a classical or academic style, Käthe Kollwitz’s work is particularly interesting in its dramatic rendering of the sufferings of working-class women, using strong marks that reflect her social commitment. A film (Reflection: A film about Time and Relatedness, 1977, 59 minutes) by Keith Critchlow examines church architecture and stone circles in an interplay between humans and the natural world.

The exhibition gives the viewer a window into the interesting comparison between different artists who lived and worked in the 20^th century in different contexts and who used distinctive styles. The viewer is involved in diverse visions that are compelling and challenging. The work of Lucian Freud is the main highlight because of his incredible development in a continuous personal exploration of the subject and the media; he attains exceptional artistic standards that situate his work as among the most renowned productions of contemporary art.