All About Red Haired Man on a Chair by Lucian Freud

Title of Artwork: “Red Haired Man on a Chair”

Artwork by Lucian Freud

Year Created 1962-1963

Summary of Red Haired Man on a Chair

Freud’s mature style can be seen here even in this early work. Freud was known for his unconventional postures. The subject matter is conventional, but the pose is uncommon in Western portraiture.

All About Red Haired Man on a Chair

Tim Behrens, a friend and student of Freud’s at the Slade School of Art, is the subject of this essay. In a way, the work’s generic title reflects Freud’s consistent clinical detachment from all subjects, no matter how close he was to them.

In Red Haired Man on a Chair, Behrens sits on a chair that appears to be tilting toward us, his knees tucked under him in a grey suit. The wooden post and the discarded pile of cloths behind him indicate that this is a painting studio.

Using hog-hair brushes, Freud could apply impasto with broader strokes and better control at this point in his career than he had been able to achieve with sable brushes.

There is no doubt that Freud has advanced in his thinking. Linear tension between the figure and the post inches away, giving the impression that if he leans slightly to the left he might actually touch it, is an example of this phenomenon.

The vertical figure and the horizontal line of rags in the background, which forms a cross, can be seen in this image. Even though Freud was neither religious nor Catholic, this clever allusion to his student’s uncomfortable stance serves as a reminder of his student’s role as a martyr for the greater good of great art.

Freud’s approach to the human form is more sadistic than empathetic, in particular his ability to suspend empathy with the sitter so that he could observe him or her more clearly.

It’s also one of the earliest examples of Freud’s later portraits’ use of rags strewn about in loose piles.

Information Citations

En.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/.

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