Lucian Freud's 'Still Life with Aloe' Goes on View at the J. Paul Getty Center |
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| Wednesday, 07 January 2009 03:58 |
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"The Museum is delighted to juxtapose a still-life painting by Lucian Freud-one of the most admired painters practicing today-with a beautiful 17th century Italian still-life by the lesser known artist, Garzoni, and the revered 18th century still-life master Chardin," states Scott Schaefer, senior curator of paintings at the J. Paul Getty Museum. "When offered the opportunity to see these three works side by side in dialogue, visitors will recognize Freud's roots in the still-life tradition." Freud, who has been described by art critic Robert Hughes as "the greatest living realist painter," is well-versed in the Western tradition of painting and has long admired the talent and skill of the Old Masters. He looks closely at that tradition-borrowing from it and extrapolating from it to create works which are grounded in the contemporary while paying homage to the grandeur of Velazquez, the unusual juxtapositions of Surrealism, and the frivolity of Watteau. In this particular work from his early career, he places an aloe plant and a fish carcass on a horizontal plane or table, which is spatially incongruent with the vertical shutters that are depicted behind and adjacent to the table rather than perpendicular to it. The formal similarities between the two are undeniable, as is the disquieting juxtaposition of these otherwise unrelated "objects."  Freud's Still Life will be hung next to the lesser known female artist Giovanna Garzoni's Still Life with Bowl of Citrons (late 1640s), which depicts robust citrons with their leafy branches still attached filling a worn ceramic bowl to overflowing. Garzoni's acute observation of nature and refined handling of paint are evident in the carefully rendered citron skin and in the wasp's delicate wings. With its central bowl of fruit, this painting is characteristic of Garzoni's style; a single flower or insect placed in front of the picture plane adds interest to the composition. Garzoni deliberately manipulated textures and shapes, contrasting the citrons' rough skin and rounded weightiness with the sharp-edged branches, the glistening, green leaves, and the delicate, star-like blossoms. Garzoni's skillful depictions of natural objects, usually fruits and insects arranged in pleasing ensembles, were among the paintings most coveted by wealthy patrons. The Freud still-life will also be juxtaposed with Jean-Siméon Chardin's Still Life with Peaches, a Silver Goblet, Grapes, and Walnuts. In this small still life, Chardin portrayed modest subjects-three walnuts, four peaches, two bunches of grapes, and a pewter mug-but gave the objects monumentality by arranging them in pure geometric groupings and concentrating on their basic forms. He suggested the objects' various textures and substances through the play of light across surfaces and successive applications of paint. In this way, Chardin conveyed the fuzzy skin of the peaches, the hard, brittle shell of the walnuts, the translucence of the grapes, and the heavy, cold exterior of the pewter mug.  Lucian Freud Grandson of the famous Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, Lucian Freud was born in Berlin , Germany in 1922 and moved to England in 1933. Between 1938 and 1943 he trained at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, and the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing; he graduated from Goldsmiths College in 1943. Freud is one of the best known British artists working in a traditional representational style, and was commended for the Turner Prize in 1989 in recognition of his innovative and ambitious paintings, as seen in his major retrospective at the Hayward Gallery. His work has been the subject of major exhibitions at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (1997); Tate Britain, London (2002), which subsequently traveled to The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2003); and The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2007). The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that features the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Foundation. The J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs serve a varied audience from two locations: the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Malibu. Visiting the Getty Center: The Getty Center is open Tuesday through Friday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed Monday and major holidays. Admission to the Getty Center is always free. Parking is $10. No reservations required. Reservations are required for event seating and groups of 15 or more. For more information, call 310-440-7300 (English or Spanish); 310-440-7305 (TTY line for the deaf or hearing impaired). Additional information is available at www.getty.edu . Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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