Reclining Figure I 1966

Frank Auerbach made this print, Reclining Figure I, in 1966, and it’s a dance of mark making, wouldn’t you say? It’s like he's feeling his way through the image, trusting the process more than any preconceived idea. Look at the blues and purples, how they're laid down in broad strokes. You can almost feel the pressure of his hand, the way he’s pushing the ink around. And those thick, black lines, they're not just outlines; they're like armatures, holding the whole thing together. There's one spot, just above where you can make out the date, where the purple bleeds into the white. It's a small detail, but it's where you see the artist really grappling with the material, embracing the unpredictable. Auerbach’s commitment to process resonates with artists like Leon Kossoff, who also used the materiality of paint to express something beyond representation. Art is not about answers, but rather, embracing the questions.