Frank Auerbach

Marlborough Gallery, London
White Cube, London
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

London, Marlborough Gallery, Frank Auerbach - Recent Works, 1997

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although they are softer and less red in the original, while the background tends more towards the plum and the areas that appear black in the illustration are actually shades of blue. Condition: This work is in very good condition. No restoration is visible under ultraviolet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Auerbach's life and art is defined by its relationships and emotional bonds; none more consuming than that with his wife, Julia Wolstenholme, who he married in 1958 and who since then has recurred as the subject for some of his most emotionally charged and intimate portraits. More than with any other of his sitters, the paintings of Julia verify the reasons behind his unwavering, continued commitment to paint only the people closest to him. They represent the inner core of Auerbach's close relationships with models and convey a feeling of substance and sensuality that only comes from absolute familiarity.

 

Reclining Head of Julia shirks figurative interpretation and conveys something more compelling and more private. In a manner akin to de Kooning's paintings of women, it reveals the psychological expression of the artist as much as his sitter. The marks defining her reclining head are built in thick layers of pigment conveying everything but a precise visual reality. There is a sense of revelatory directness in the way he paints his wife here, channelling the visual impetus of the situation and enlivening it through the palpable emotions of their interaction. "There was always the feeling that she might get fed up, that there might be a quarrel or something. I also had a much greater sense of what specifically she was like, so that the question of getting a likeness was like walking a tightrope. I had a far more poignant sense of it slipping away, of if being hard to get" (Frank Auerbach cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, London, Frank Auerbach: Paintings and Drawings 1954-2001, 2001, p. 23).