When Lucian Freud makes a picture, and I am really interested in his late pictures, it is the way he uses paint that is remarkable. Freud used a very heavy and dry, lead based white called Cremnitz White in order to achieve his goals when it came to painting skin. He would use Cremnitz white only sparingly to paint anything else. The skin tones and transparency are built up using the most subtle colours. It is possible to trace the history of the brush marks in his paintings. The same can be said for the way Freud treats the grain or the knots in the wooden floor boards or the dry leather or torn upholstery on a chair. Everything is given the same treatment, the same importance and the same scrutiny. Despite this, Freud talks about a painting 'Girl with a White Dog'  - in itself, a very objective title for a painting, where he becomes obsessed with a dark mole. He later said  "I couldn't take my eyes off it".

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