Portraits and Panels

Circle of Hugo Van der Goes

Fayyum portrait

Fayyum Portrait

Hugo Van der Goes

Lucian Freud

I know, Lucian Freud is like whoa. Every year I have a student who is super talented and will do a copy of a Freud painting that just is amazing and better than I could. Lately, I have been
looking at Hugo Van der Goes -- for me there is a density there that is like the same as Freud, just blended and smoothed and softened. I also like how sometimes you see these type of portraits on unframed, odd-shaped wood panels (maybe parts of an altar or somesuch) -- so the very "realness" of the illusion of the flesh contrasts with the very obvious object-ness of the support. Same with the Roman Fayum mummy portraits.