Lucian attends the Gargoyle Club and intensely looks at the owner's daughter. The artist feels that he must scrutinize his models from the closest to bring a psychological dimension to his portraits. He already understands that his attitude may be inconvenient, but that does not restrain him. If he knows to seduce his interlocutor, the drawing will be good.
Pauline's drawing by Lucian, 45 x 40 cm on gray-green paper, is estimated £ 2M for sale by Christie's in London on June 30, lot 7. The very short history of their scarcely romantic encounters makes possible to date the work to 1945, when the sitter was 17 years old.
Lucian is a competent artist. The portrait is meticulous, with a great care in the undulating lines of the blond hair. The hair style and the blouse are positioning the girl in the modern world.
Pauline's gaze anticipates the empathy that Lucian will share with his later models. Her left eye is bright while the other is in the shadow, and this difference makes the viewer feel that an eye is wet. The slight oversize of both eyes is probably intended by the grandson of Sigmund Freud to highlight that they constitute the center of his psychological composition.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's.
SOLD for £ 2.3M including premium