Lucien Freud (b. 1922)

 
Lucien Freud, German-born British painter and grandson of Sigmund Freud, moved to England with his parents in 1931 and was naturalized a British subject in 1939. He began working as an artist full time when he left the Merchant Navy in 1942. Freud went on to win a prize at the Festival of Britain in 1951 with the piece, Interior at Paddington. Freud is best known for his figurative work, specifically nudes and portraiture. His early works were painstakingly detailed and extremely well rendered. He preferred working with subjects that he knew personally. Freud is often classified a realist but the stylized intensity of his work set him apart from the typical British figurative work of post World War II. In the late 1950’s Freud’s work shifted and he adopted a broader stroke and more dramatic lighting and poses of subjects.