Frank Auerbach
1961
Oil paint on board
76.2 x 55.9 cm
Since the Renaissance, artists have adopted charcoal for sketching and preparatory studies because it can be swiftly manipulated, easily erased and seamlessly reworked. However, as this remarkable drawing demonstrates, Frank Auerbach used charcoal to create monumental works of lasting grandeur and emotional depth. In this portrait head, the first he made of his cousin Gerda Boehm, Auerbach exploited the medium’s full range of effects: the sharp edge of the charcoal draws fine lines while its soft texture means it can be rubbed to create powerful modelling. This results in a complex drawing from which Boehm emerges as a figure of poise and dignity but time worn and imbued with a sense of melancholy.