The scrutiny yet softness with which Lucian Freud painted eyes is simply extraordinary, particularly in his earlier portraits. Girl with a Kitten (1947), a portrait of Freud’s first wife Kathleen Garman, and Girl with Roses (1947–1948) are the two sharpest examples in The National Gallery show. The glazed, outward expression coupled with the cat’s stare in the former painting makes for a particularly mesmerising composition.

In both self-portraiture and when working with sitters, Freud did not shy away from uncompromising angles that many might wince at. Evening in the Studio (1993) depicts Sue Tilley—who famously featured in his 1995 painting, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping—in a perfect embodiment of the forensic and unflinchingly raw approach that set Freud apart from the rest.

The attention to detail beyond the portrait, particularly the goings-on outside his W11 studio, is astounding. Beyond the suited subjects in Two Irishman in W11 (1984–1985), the rows of rooftops and tree-lined streets visible through the window are painted in such compelling detail they could almost be paintings in themselves.

Seeing early works such as Man at Night (Self-Portrait) (1947) alongside the later pencil drawings of his mother provides a window into the development of Freud’s draftsmanship—not necessarily for better or worse, but as a tool that informed his time behind the easel.

It’s interesting to note how the self portrait, Painter Working, Reflection (1993), is painted with the same impasto-laden intensity indicated by the paint on the palette gripped by the artist—blurring the distinction between skin and paint, while providing an insight into Freud’s scrupulous process.

Lucian Freud: New Perspectives is open at The National Gallery, London until 22 January 2023.

Main image: Lucian Freud, Girl with a Kitten (1947). Oil on canvas. 41 x 30.7 cm. Courtesy © The Lucian Freud Archive. Photo: Tate.