"The picture is all he feels about it, all he thinks worth preserving of it, all he invests it with. If all the qualities which a painter took from the model for his picture were really taken, no person could be painted twice"

Lucian Freud's quote explores the complex and interpretive nature of painting. By specifying, "The image is all he feels about it, all he thinks worth preserving of it, all he invests it with," Freud highlights the deeply subjective procedure by which a painter analyzes and translates a model onto canvas. The painting ends up being a reflection not just of the design's physical appearance but likewise of the artist's emotional and intellectual action to the subject. This declaration stresses that painting is not a mere act of duplication; it is an act of developing a complex, intimate portrait imbued with the artist's perspective, sensations, and perhaps biases.

The latter part of the quote, "If all the qualities which a painter drew from the design for his picture were really taken, no individual could be painted twice," suggests the individuality and uniqueness fundamental in artistic analysis. If the painter had the ability to extract and capture every single quality of the design entirely, the design's essence would be fully caught in a single painting, leaving absolutely nothing more to check out or reveal in subsequent efforts. Instead, Freud implies that each act of painting is a selective interpretation, leaving room for multiple portrayals, each with its own distinct essence.

The quote speaks with the broader concept that art is a continuous dialogue in between the artist and the subject, one that can not be exhausted in a single representation. Each painting is an unique imaginative act, reshaping and recontextualizing what the artist views and feels. It reflects Freud's appreciation for the depth of human intricacy and the numerous elements that can be explored through art. This viewpoint echoes the belief that art is not about best similarity however about conveying deeper truths and emotive content that can be constantly reimagined and rediscovered.