Portrait of the Hound
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Freud worked on this canvas of considerable size for four years, even in the weeks immediately before his death, when it was left unfinished on the easel. Depicted from a point of view directly above the sitters are Freud’s long-term assistant and model David Dawson and Eli, Dawson’s whippet. The paint applied to the figure and the bedsheet features Cremnitz White, a type of white lead paint that Freud favored for its hue. The accumulation of paint on the canvas and the way in which the rendering takes shape only if viewed from a certain distance reflects Freud’s deep admiration for the later works of masters such as Hals, Rembrandt, Titian, and Velázquez.
Artwork Details
- Title: Portrait of the Hound
- Artist: Lucian Freud (British (born Germany), Berlin 1922–2011 London)
- Date: 2011
- Geography: Country of Origin Great Britain
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 62 3/16 × 54 5/16 in. (158 × 138 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Private Collection
- Rights and Reproduction: © Lucian Freud Archive / Bridgeman Images / photograph courtesy
Lenz & Staehelin, Zurich - Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art