Realism
Created by Kayla Rosy on Thu, 03/28/2024 - 16:03
This timeline provides a sociohistorical context for Lucian Freud's 1990 Painting of Leigh Bowery (Seated). The painting depicts Leigh Bowery sitting on a red chair, naked, in a seemingly empty room. The walls are painted black, and the floor appears to be a hardwood type.
Freud, Lucian. Painting of Leigh Bowery (Seated). 1990.
https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en/freud/leigh-bowery-seated-1990-oil-
on-canvas/oil-on-canvas/asset/619748. Accessed 24 February 2024.
Timeline
Chronological table
| Date | Event | Created by | Associated Places | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 1976 |
School of London Messrs Timothy Behrens, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach and Michael Andrews, having lunch at Wheeler’s Restaurant in Soho, London, 1963 For the first event, I chose the School of London. The School of London was officially named in 1976 when Kitaj organized an exhibition that featured 48 participants who painted people and places with raw energy and angst. “The School of London was a loosely affiliated group of Post-war artists who rejected Minimalist and Conceptual avant-garde styles in favor of representational subjects and painterly techniques.” They revolutionized figurative painting after WWII, choosing to paint the real world and people without altering such as landscapes scarred by wartime bombing and the human body. Rather than a movement, the School of London was viewed as a social group that reached Europe and the United States, where artists found common ground with those not devoted to pure abstraction. Lucian Freud was a key member of the School London and was described as a portraitist. He was known for his realistic and thought-provoking portraits, which align closely with the school’s interpretation of realism art of what is in front of the painter. Freud’s work often portrayed the naked body emphasizing the vulnerabilities and uncomfortable nature of the human experience. |
Kayla Rosy | ||
| 1981 |
AIDS Crisis AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power For the second event, I chose the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Crisis which first appeared in early 1981. AIDS is a disease transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected person, sharing contaminated needles and syringes, and more. Initially, the disease was identified as a “gay disease” because gay men were the group primarily affected. Leigh Bowery was an iconic figure who captivated audiences with his unique and extravagant fashion sense. He expressed himself by creating and implementing elaborate flamboyant costumes that defied societal norms and expectations. Bowery's costumes and flamboyance were not only a creative form of self-expression but also a reflection of his unconventional personality and involvement in the nightlife world, specifically his renowned club Taboo. Freud first met Bowery at club Taboo through a mutual friend. After witnessing one of Bowery's performances, Freud was inspired to do a portrait series with him. During the height of the AIDS pandemic, when gay people were stigmatized as disease carriers, he used his performance and self-costuming as a way to show queer visibility. Bowery was HIV-positive for six years before he died of the disease.
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Kayla Rosy | ||
| 1990 to 1994 |
Freud & Bowery Lucian Freud Working on Leigh Bowery For the third event, I chose the collaboration between Freud and Bowery. Their meeting was like a match made in heaven of mutual inspiration and collaboration. Freud was fascinated with the human form and sought subjects that challenged conventional beauty standards and instead offered something deeper that he found intriguing. He found the answers in Leigh Bowery with his daring performance, flamboyant costumes, and unadulterated ways of self-expression. Bowery stood out compared to Freud’s previous subjects. Freud and Bowery shared a mutual understanding of the pursuit of self-expression through various art forms. Bowery introduced Sue Tilley's “Big Sue” to Freud, who later painted several portraits of her one holding the record for the highest price paid for a painting by a living artist. One of Lucian Freud's most famous paintings is Benefits Supervisor Sleeping (1995), which captures Sue Tilley in a reclining position, asleep naked. The painting is characterized by its meticulous attention to detail and the realistic portrayal of Tilley's body. Freud's use of vibrant colors and textured brushstrokes adds depth and realism to the subject. The painting has become an iconic piece and can be viewed as symbolizing the power of women, and their ability to be both vulnerable and strong. Freud's painting challenges celebrate female beauty.
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Kayla Rosy | ||
| 1 Apr 2024 |
My Docent Story Lucian Freud My purpose in providing background on those three events is to help paint a picture of Lucian Freud and his subject of Leigh Bowery when creating Leigh Bowery (Seated). I also used these events to explain what this painting was doing socially at the time it was created. This painting, which was done in 1990, was a bold statement against social conformity. It was an expression of Lucian Freud's views on the idea of individuality and the power of the individual. It was also a way to challenge the status quo and encourage people to be who they are. Freud, known for painting what he saw, was able to show a different side to Bowery, a vulnerable side that is not shown to the public. Apart from challenging the avant-garde, Freud's art also challenged society's views on beauty and gay people, since before the painting was made gay people were stigmatized as "carriers" of AIDS. Freud revealed a depth and humanity side to Bowery that was often overlooked due to his flamboyant and outlandish personality. By capturing the vulnerability of Bowery, Freud forces us and society to confront the different layers that make up Bowery's character.
MLA Citation “Leigh Bowery - National Portrait Gallery.” Person - National Portrait Gallery, www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp67216/leigh-bowery. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. “School of London.’ National Galleries Scotland, www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/glossary-terms/school-london#:.... Accessed 28 Mar. 2024. Laux, Cameron. “Lucian Freud and Sue Tilley: The Story of an Unlikely Muse.” BBC News, BBC, 24 Feb. 2022, www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180514-lucian-freud-and-big-sue-the-story-.... Starkey, Arun. “The Taboo-Busting Legacy of Leigh Bowery.” Far Out Magazine, 28 Oct. 2021, faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-legacy-of-leigh-bowery/. |
Kayla Rosy |
