As you all may know, Lucian Freud died on Wednesday at the age of 88. I've only discovered his work fairly recently (about 5 years ago) and I would love the opportunity to dig a deeper into his work. Freud paintings really amaze me. To me, his work is very illustrative. Each portrait he paints tells a seemingly sad story. I could look at his work for hours and discover incredible new aspects each time. As an artist, I would love to thank him for bringing back respect and passion for figurative work to the overly abstract and conceptual art world.

Lucian had such a talent for capturing quiet emotion and really gorgeous flesh. Here are some of my favorite Freud paintings:

Large Interier W. 11, 1981-1983

"The painter makes real to others his innermost feelings about what he cares for. A secret becomes known to everyone who views the picture through the intensity with which it is felt."

Lucian Freud

Hotel Bedroom, 1954

Ib and her Husband, 1992

"The aura given out by a person or object is as much a part of them as their flesh. The effect that they make in space is as bound up with them as might be their colour or smell ... Therefore the painter must be as concerned with the air surrounding his subject as with the subject itself. It is through observation and perception of atmosphere that he can register the feeling that he wishes his painting to give out."

Lucian Freud