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Lot Essay
Lucian Freud, Double Portrait, 1985-86 (oil on canvas) Private Collection The Lucian Freud Archive The Bridgeman Art Library
Lucian Freud famously had a great affinity for dogs and they were a beloved fixture of his studio, often used as subject for his paintings, drawings and etchings. Within these images there is a sense of tenderness and affection, in stark contrast to the detached quality found in his depictions of humans. These portraits highlight that for Freud the subjects of his work were not chosen as a result of commissions or external pressure, instead functioning as a mirror to his daily life.
Pluto seen here is Freud's first etching of his favorite companion, created in the same year she was acquired for his daughter Bella. Pluto as subject appears again and again in Freud's work, often with Bella, who is seen here and in his Double Portrait from the same year. The whippet's expressive features also provided inspiration for all members of the Freud family, as Pluto is also found on Bella's current fashion label as mascot.
All Freud's subjects had to sit for extended periods of time in the same position, not particularly easy for humans and obviously impossible to explain to animals. To remedy this problem, Freud's assistant David Dawson developed a trick of taking Pluto on an extended walk in the morning and following it up with a large meal, insuring a long period of sleepy inactivity.
An incredibly detailed etched portrait is the product of these long sessions and ingenuity, and as a result Pluto revels in the unique features of Bella's canine companion. The dog's sleek form(prized in whippets) is represented in layers of shadow and light. Fine lines and heavy crosshatching depicting Pluto's fur contrast with the folds of Bella's skirt rendered with a delicate layer of watercolor. In the unusual composition, typical of Freud's portraits, Bella's bent legs echo Pluto's. The resultant languid pose is a tumble of limbs, paws and quiet domesticity.
'I like people to look as natural and as physically at ease as animals, as Pluto my whippet.' (Freud to William Feaver, 2002)
Lucian Freud famously had a great affinity for dogs and they were a beloved fixture of his studio, often used as subject for his paintings, drawings and etchings. Within these images there is a sense of tenderness and affection, in stark contrast to the detached quality found in his depictions of humans. These portraits highlight that for Freud the subjects of his work were not chosen as a result of commissions or external pressure, instead functioning as a mirror to his daily life.
Pluto seen here is Freud's first etching of his favorite companion, created in the same year she was acquired for his daughter Bella. Pluto as subject appears again and again in Freud's work, often with Bella, who is seen here and in his Double Portrait from the same year. The whippet's expressive features also provided inspiration for all members of the Freud family, as Pluto is also found on Bella's current fashion label as mascot.
All Freud's subjects had to sit for extended periods of time in the same position, not particularly easy for humans and obviously impossible to explain to animals. To remedy this problem, Freud's assistant David Dawson developed a trick of taking Pluto on an extended walk in the morning and following it up with a large meal, insuring a long period of sleepy inactivity.
An incredibly detailed etched portrait is the product of these long sessions and ingenuity, and as a result Pluto revels in the unique features of Bella's canine companion. The dog's sleek form(prized in whippets) is represented in layers of shadow and light. Fine lines and heavy crosshatching depicting Pluto's fur contrast with the folds of Bella's skirt rendered with a delicate layer of watercolor. In the unusual composition, typical of Freud's portraits, Bella's bent legs echo Pluto's. The resultant languid pose is a tumble of limbs, paws and quiet domesticity.
'I like people to look as natural and as physically at ease as animals, as Pluto my whippet.' (Freud to William Feaver, 2002)