I'm afraid that I can't word my response nearly so eloquently as others here have, but I have to vote with a very big yes to Lucian Freuds work.
I had the privilege to see his exhibition in Venice this summer covering 50 years of his work (including the portrait of Queen Elizabeth)
It was absolutely astounding, and to take the words from another post, it was art as an experience at its best in my view.
Traditional, realism in portraiture is all well and good, but i always have a nagging feeling that i am missing something when viewing work like this. You can see the person but never quite 'feel' them.
With Freuds work you definitely get a feel, for the person and the struggle that the artist has gone through to try and capture the essence of the sitter.
His work makes you want to try to understand what was going on deep down, rather than merely gazing on the surface beauty of a beautifully rendered portrait.
I spent hours looking from a distance or with my nose virtually on the canvas and resisting the urge to actually run my fingers over the painted surface.
Definitely an experience!
Carolyn
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