Lucian Freud is considered one of the most important figurative painters of the 20th and 21st centuries. The son of architect Ernst Freud and grandson of Sigmund Freud, Lucian Freud’s early artistic practice was characterized by a meticulously realistic approach to painting. In the mid-1950s, however, Freud diverged from this previous approach in favor of looser brushwork and richer application of color. Freud directed his modified technique and deeply probing gaze toward the discipline of portraiture, which has come to be the core of his oeuvre. Though his style continued to evolve throughout his 70 years of painting, Freud consistently focused on translating his direct perceptions, however subjective, onto the canvas, resulting in portraits that are honest, tender, and psychologically complex.