The quote speaks about an artist's drive to push beyond their current capabilities and embrace challenges that seem daunting or nearly impossible to achieve. The speaker, Lucian Freud, reflects on his approach to art by drawing a parallel with Francis Bacon’s view that he was giving the world of art something it previously lacked. Freud acknowledges that like William Butler Yeats, who saw beauty in tackling difficult tasks, his own motivation is rooted in the pursuit of what he cannot yet do.
When Freud says he's "only trying to do what I can't do," he encapsulates a deep philosophy of artistic endeavor. It suggests an intrinsic human desire to expand one’s limits and explore uncharted territories within oneself. This approach implies that real growth comes from confronting challenges, rather than staying within the comfort zone where skills are already honed and mastered. By setting ambitious goals, artists like Freud continually reinvent themselves and their work, contributing fresh perspectives and innovations to their field.
Lucian Freud was a renowned British painter known for his candid portraits and nudes that captured human subjects with striking realism and intensity. He was part of the school of figurative art, which focused on detailed representations of human figures, often emphasizing psychological depth over idealized beauty. Throughout his career, Freud honed this philosophy of embracing difficulty, leading to a body of work that challenged conventions and left an indelible mark on contemporary art.
