ANY description of
Lucian Freud is likely to include the phrase “Britain’s greatest
living artist” and to contain stories illustrating the
idiosyncrasies of his lifestyle.
As an addendum to Freud’s latest exhibition at the Wallace
Collection in Marylebone, the National Portrait Gallery is
staging an exhibition of photographs by David Dawson, a gifted
painter in his own right.
His photos capture life within Freud’s
studio over the past four years — Dawson continues where the
late Bruce Bernard, the brother of the late writer Jeffrey, left
off.
Dawson perhaps knows Freud better than Bernard because he is not
only his assistant but also a painter, as well as a confidant
and friend, whose day is structured around Freud and his
painting. Dawson grew up in rural Wales, helping out as a
part-time shepherd before taking an MA at the Royal College of
Art. He has worked with Freud for 12 years.
His photographs of
life in the latter’s studio are supplemented by many others,
including dogs.
Freud’s nude paintings of Dawson reveal one of the more
obvious effects of either being richly endowed with high levels
of dihydrotestosterone, or having tissues unusually sensitive to
its action. This characteristic has already excited comment in
the gossip columns.
Most blessings have a downside, and that associated with high
testosterone levels, or sensitivity, is a tendency to show early
signs of malepattern baldness. In common with 6.5 million men in
the UK, Dawson, who is now in early middle age, has a receding
hairline. One in two British men experiences excessive hair loss
before the age of 50.
A recent survey of 1,500 men in five European countries
revealed that British men were the worst hit by early loss of
scalp hair. The Germans are almost as severely affected — they
head the balding league — but there is a difference: nine out of
ten British men accept a receding hairline in their early
forties as an act of God, or a downside of their masculinity.
They generally do no more to try to disguise it than by having
their hair cut very short, whereas the Germans try to do
something about it. They have the wiser approach. There is
evidence, even without delving into William Hague’s political
history, that men’s ability is too often judged by the amount of
hair they have retained.
We should realise that in many cases something can now be
done to alleviate baldness. There are two treatments that may
work. Propecia (finasteride), a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor, is
taken once a day orally. Finasteride in larger doses is marketed
as Proscar, which is invaluable in treating benignly enlarged
prostates.
The alternative to Proscar is Regaine (minoxidil), which is
usually applied to the scalp twice daily in a 5 per cent
solution. Either of these treatments can be effective, but they
need to be used regularly. The life history of a hair determines
that the beneficial effect is not instantaneous and treatment
must be continued for between four and six months before hope is
abandoned.
