In his highly acclaimed essay for this survey of Lucian Freuds work, Robert Hughes points out that the reality pursued in the paintings goes far beyond naturalism. It is both startling and disconcerting, producing some of the most powerful and moving visual images to have appeared in the last thirty years. Freud has almost single-handedly redefined the figurative painting of our time. No other living painter possesses his unique ability to paint texture and thinness of skin over flesh, and his distinctive portraits have a haunting quality that makes them impossible to forget.
