Solicitor Head
Solicitor Head
Signed Print
Lucian Freud
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60 x 48cm, Edition of 46, Etching
Medium: Etching
Edition size: 46
Year: 2003
Size: H 60cm x W 48cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
Last Auction: December 2019
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Meaning & Analysis
Solicitor Head (2003) is an etching by Lucian Freud that captures the head and shoulders of a figure in close-up, tilted back and softly lit from above. The sitter's parted lips and heavy-lidded gaze give the portrait a sense of suspension - somewhere between presence and withdrawal. The paper’s exposed areas and the lack of background draw focus to the sitter’s face, where Freud concentrates his mark-making.
The etched lines in Solicitor Head vary in density, building shadow across the features and hair with a mixture of tightly drawn cross-hatching and looser strokes. Freud’s attention to surface and structure creates a portrait that feels both intimate and withheld. As with much of his work, there is no sense of flattery or theatricality here - just a focused study of a face caught in a moment. Solicitor Head sits firmly within Freud’s broader interest in depicting the people around him with an unsentimental clarity.
Famed for his representations of the human form, Lucian Freud is one of the 20th Century's most celebrated artists. The grandson of psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, the artist confronts the psychological depth and bare complexities of the human body. From his early works to his celebrated nudes and portraits, Freud's canvases resonate with an almost tactile intensity, capturing the essence of his subjects with unwavering honesty. Freud painted only himself, close friends, and family, which floods his work with an intimacy that is felt by the viewer. His pursuit of honesty through portraiture shaped the trajectory of figurative art in the 20th century.
