The artwork titled “Head of Boy with a Book” was created by Lucian Freud in 1944. This piece belongs to the Expressionism art movement and falls under the genre of sketch and study. The artwork showcases Freud’s early exploration into capturing human expressions and emotions through detailed and intricate line work.
The artwork depicts a young boy holding a book close to his chest, with a contemplative and introspective expression on his face. The medium appears to be pencil or a similar drawing tool on paper, manifesting a raw and detailed style that highlights the boy’s facial features and hand positioning. The simplicity of the background directs the observer’s full attention to the subject’s face and hands, reinforcing the intimate and personal nature of the study. The boy’s neatly groomed hair and attire suggest a certain formality and attentiveness, further emphasized by the firmness with which he holds the book. The use of dark lines and shading techniques creates a sense of depth and dimension, demonstrating Freud’s early skill in portraiture and his ability to convey complex human emotions through minimalistic means.
