Dimensions: support: 1981 x 1537 mm
Copyright: © Frank Auerbach | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Frank Auerbach's "Oxford Street Building Site I" presents us with an intriguing view of urban construction. The support is quite large, at nearly two meters in height. Editor: It's a chaotic landscape, isn't it? The thick impasto creates a real sense of density, almost like a relief map of built environment. Curator: Indeed. Auerbach's process is integral; he builds up layers of paint, scraping back and reworking, mirroring the construction and deconstruction inherent to the subject. It speaks to the physicality of labor. Editor: And the visual language! The cranes become totemic, reaching skyward, symbols of progress and perhaps even aspiration. Curator: Precisely. The raw materiality reflects the city’s own endless cycle of creation and decay, a powerful statement on modern life. Editor: It certainly leaves one with a lasting impression of the city’s constant state of flux. Curator: A testament to how material transformation shapes our lived experience.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/auerbach-oxford-street-building-site-i-t00418
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Building sites in London were a favourite theme for Auerbach in the 1950s. This painting was based on drawings made looking down onto the area between Oxford Street and Cavendish Square. Auerbach’s characteristically thick paint and earth tones evoke the grime and dirty excavation of the scene. He was interested in the complex structure made by the cranes and scaffolding; their linear pattern is etched into the paint. This is reminiscent of the strong structure often employed by Bomberg. Gallery label, September 2004
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