ABSTRACT
The painter Lucien Freud refers to his works as naked portraits and avoids the word “nude.” His work resists some of the norms of the art world, and Freud isn’t interested in making flattering portraits. Neither was Avedon. It is possible to portray naked people in ways that are more about the person inhabiting the skin and less about conforming to a stylistic norm such as boudoir, cheesecake, or some other idealized representation.
