David Landau 2009

Curator: This is Frank Auerbach's 2009 oil on canvas titled "David Landau". Editor: My first impression is one of searching, like a blurred memory or an echo fading in and out of focus. Is that the feeling it conjures for others? Curator: The neo-expressionist style lends itself to that. Auerbach applied the oil paint thickly, almost sculpting the figure onto the canvas. This wasn't a single sitting, but likely built up over many sessions. It is important to remember how much time went into this painting! Editor: You can sense the dedication and effort that has been applied here. You are right. Time changes the texture, and it takes the work deeper than if this portrait were knocked off quickly. Curator: Auerbach repeatedly scraped down and reworked his portraits, trying to capture not just likeness, but something deeper. This focus, plus the very fact it is called a "portrait", elevates Landau beyond a depiction to an "exploration of character." I want to believe in it, you know? Editor: Exploration indeed. Look at the hands! The details seem both intentional and haphazard at once. Is that Landau's face? You almost don't see it behind the layers, it almost hurts that much. The painting is trying to reveal itself in the dark, pushing against its limitations. It is almost painful, but in a gorgeous way. Curator: The painting certainly grapples with modern notions of portraiture as representation. Auerbach engaged directly with history, attending to the School of London's renewed interest in figuration that tried to resist mid-century abstraction's dominance. There is a political position implicit to his painting that sought to push through those restraints! Editor: Seeing it like this – this fight against flatness, abstraction – well, I appreciate that. This picture resonates far more, understanding how that affects how it came to life. It now seems like this man Landau exists for longer and he did push for something more, right? Curator: Absolutely. Next time you're in London, I recommend a visit to the National Portrait Gallery; it will place "David Landau" firmly within the landscape of modern British art. Editor: I love when a piece demands a kind of prolonged observation that keeps delivering new insights long after you think you’ve figured it out.