AIBU to be shocked at Lucian Freud painting his teenage daughter naked with her legs open?

[NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1]

Well, am I? Am I horribly surburban to have felt utter disgust with one look at that painting?

For fucks sake. Every day another fucking man shows how fucking vile they are.

Not unreasonable at all. He's really, really strange.

I know. I feel like crying.

Agree with Single - he was utterly fucked up (the whole family are, probably ) so it's no shock.

Why?

I wouldn't see my teenage daughter in a sexual way so would happily paint her if I was a real painter

I'm not a painter or a photographer so it would be weird

I remember a photographer (female) got into trouble because she photographed her children naked and there are issues around consent

So there's consent issues for me which would prevent it - but not 'body' issues

Please note I don't know anything about the artist himself and you all clearly do - so obviously you know he's a weirdo

YANBU - although I think it is intended to provoke strong feelings of disgust and confusion. Freud was interested in the animalistic side of humans, and saw nudity as a way of peeling back the civilised veneer to access that.

It’s a complicated scenario. It was his daughter who chose the pose. She has said she wanted to look aggressive and ready to spring, not obedient, which is why she chose it. Her feelings about it a complex and contradictory. And even if she had been all for it in a straightforward way, it doesn’t necessarily mean her father should have allowed it.

I think he was an artist first and a father second. I’m not saying that’s a good thing, but I think it helps frame the relationship exhibited in that painting.

It makes me uncomfortable too, though. I don’t think it’s suburban to have a strong adverse reaction!

I don't know anything about the artist either, but I can say I dislike his art style personally. I also find it very odd that he'd want to paint his teenage daughter naked. Also curious as to her thoughts on it, can't imagine many teenage daughters happy to get their kit off for dad to paint her.

Here’s an article his daughter wrote about the experience (sorry, it’s behind a paywall):

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-rose-boyt-felt-about-sitting-for-her-father-lucian-freud-angry-exhilarated-and-honoured-glrl8jftp

I would recommend you all do some research on that piece, the sitter and the artist before you start weeping about it. Lucien Freud was a cunt, no doubt, but that picture is hugely complex and this is an incredibly reductive reading of that piece of work.

Yanbu

He's been dead 10 years so agree any new work is pretty shocking

I would recommend you all do some research on that piece, the sitter and the artist before you start weeping about it

I have done, thanks 🙄

but that picture is hugely complex and this is an incredibly reductive reading of that piece of work.

This bullshit is what men say about other men to excuse really vile behaviour.

@LilaJude

Cross post with you. Was nice to see someone actually engage with the work in more than a surface way.

Exactly how I felt- creeped out.

@sackrifice

No. This is the sort of thing that people who are able to deploy critical thinking skills say.

I wouldn't even Google the painting. Why is it not considered images of child sex abuse?

This is the sort of thing that people who are able to deploy critical thinking skills say

Critical thinking? Lol.

You keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better about an old man painting his daughter's snatch.

Why is it not considered images of child sex abuse?

Because those 'deep thinkers', who think they are so very intelligent and better than the commoners, think this is art?

Mm..

It is a strong image, I imagine it is supposed to be - but the model chose to be nude, and chose the pose herself...

I don't find the image offensive or upsetting, it makes me feel uncomfortable that her father painted it... but he painted nudes, and he painted all his other children nude too, and I can well believe there was nothing sexual in that at all.

I think he was an artist first and a father second. I’m not saying that’s a good thing, but I think it helps frame the relationship exhibited in that painting.

I totally agree with this. And the thing about painting is that an artist approaches EVERY subject in the same way –they scrutinise and observe and hope to represent as best they can whatever that subject is. A naked person, male, female, daughter, paid model, whoever, is the same to an artist's eye as Van Goh's wicker-seated chair, Cezanne's apples or Andy Warhol's cats.

I've done life modelling for a life drawing class and the way the teacher talked about me to the students was completely dispassionate and in neutral terms such as 'form' and 'line. They'd never say for example 'Observe the shape of that right buttock.' It never felt creepy or sexualised at all, even though most of the students were strangers to me. That said, I wasn't the teacher's daughter and I was an adult woman. But I think my point stands.

Because she was ‘about 18’ in her words. So presumably 17 for most of the time she was sitting for it.

I felt uncomfortable looking at it & reading the article. I am quite happy that I am not one of at least 14 siblings and that my father is not incredibly talented.

Is it this one?

If so not remotely sexual to me. Beautifully painted. Just been googling and the one of Kate Moss is also nude and again, not sexual (to me)

find most of Lucian Freud's work pretty disturbing (he was a pretty vile person in general) but I don't believe this painting depicts child sex abuse.

This article (not behind a paywall) explains Annie's view of the painting.

His treatment of Kitty, Annie's mother, was awful. His painting "Girl with a white dog" shows Kitty looking vulnerable with her breast exposed. She was pregnant at the time of the sitting and he deliberately exposed her breast and painted her expression of discomfort.

Kitty's Father was Jacob Epstein who was also a horrible man.

I always feel sorry for Kitty when I see that painting.

A few years ago I was in a camera club.
We took photos and they were projected on a screen and we critiqued them. We also entered county competitions . Put photos up in empty shop windows, and supplied the local hospital corridors for interest.
There was one man that I had a problem with his work, photos of young girls, young teenagers ( obvs not nude ) but the ' feel' of them just felt off to me. I had mentioned it to the chairperson but was dismissed. He is now serving a lengthy prison sentence for being a prolific paedophile.