Just as Lucian Freud: Portraits closed, the Modern’s Education Department wrapped up our final class for The Muse, a studio course where participants enjoyed a hands-on approach to studying the special exhibition. Led by renowned local artist Matthew Bourbon, the class spent time in the galleries discussing the muse and its function in Freud’s practice, as well as its historical role in painting. Matthew also introduced the work of some of Freud’s contemporaries, discussing alternative ways of dealing with the figure on the canvas. Participants worked daily from a live model, exploring new painting and compositional strategies, and culminating in a final project that combined the Freudian approach to painting the figure with a decidedly non-Freudian technique of their choice. Posted below are some of the final results.