Frank Auerbach

Marlborough Gallery, New York

Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1998

New York, Marlborough Gallery, Frank Auerbach: Recent Works, 1998, p. 12, illustrated in colour

William Feaver, Frank Auerbach, New York 2009, p. 329, no. 791, illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is brighter and richer in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultraviolet light.
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Throughout his career, Frank Auerbach has zealously focused on particular subjects; he has portrayed the same sitters for more than 30 years and has relentlessly painted the streets surrounding his studio in Camden Town since he took it on from his friend and fellow artist Leon Kossoff in 1954. The artist explained in 1986: “I haven’t painted [Mornington Crescent] to ally myself with some Camden Town Group, but simply because I feel London is this raw thing… This extraordinary, marvellously unpainted city where whenever somebody tries to get something going they stop halfway through, and next to it something incongruous occurs… this higgledy-piggledy mess of a city” (the artist cited in: Robert Hughes, Frank Auerbach, London 1992, p. 162). Indeed, in his depictions of Camden Town, Auerbach captures the ‘rawness’ and soul of the city, distilling the very essence of the North London borough where he still works, in his richly distinctive impastoed canvases.

Mornington Crescent Looking South II from 1997 presents a vividly coloured view from the corner of Mornington Crescent and Hampstead Road. An abundance of vibrant colours have been lavishly applied onto the canvas, the opulent layers of paint adding a sculptural dimension to the work and literally build up the buildings on the horizon. The pastel tones of the sky suggest an early morning landscape; rays of light seemingly infuse the lush brushstrokes that form the tall towers. Here, the paint swirls and sweeps, building up and falling into ridges and revealing the laborious process of making: Auerbach uses his heavily loaded brushes, knifes and spatulas almost as construction tools. He paints, scrapes off and re-works the surface in a dramatic process that finally results in a tangible unity.

In his brief outings from the studio, Auerbach chooses regular spots from which to draw the preparatory sketches that he will then transform into masterful paintings. For this particular work, the artist chose a “funny shaped bell at the end of Mornington Crescent” from which he could see the Ampthill Square Council Estate in Hampstead Road (the artist quoted in: Frank Auerbach: To the Studio, Hannah Rothschild and Jake Auerbach Productions 2011, video).  Constructed in 1965, the housing complex was part of the British Government’s post-war efforts to provide affordable homes to the working classes. The 21-storey buildings were reclad in the late 80s, acquiring in that process the distinctive yellow, red and blue cornices that adorn their roofs. The composition of the present work is dominated by bold brushstrokes in these primary colours, allowing the viewer’s gaze to follow the contours of the buildings and absorb the rich colours and textured surface.

The intersection of Mornington Crescent and Hampstead Road where the bell shaped traffic bollard is placed has inspired the artist to paint various landscapes in its surroundings. From this vantage point, Auerbach has portrayed Mornington Crescent station (Mornington Crescent – Early Morning from 1999 is in the collection of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek), the enormous white edifice of the Carreras factory, and the Camden Palace Centre, the old auditorium now transformed into a night club. By reducing the perimeter of his sketching excursions to a few streets and favourite locations, the artist reveals an intimate vision of the area, indeed, his personal experience of it: “I go out and look for something that corresponds to my instinct or wish as to my next picture and start drawing. The longer I draw it the more it becomes familiar to me… I find that the closer one is to something the more likely it is to be beautiful” (the artist quoted in: Ibid.). In Mornington Crescent Looking South II the towering blocks of council estate housing are transformed into colourful columns that ascend dramatically into the sky, affection the artist has for the area is here projected onto the canvas.

With its wonderfully textured surface and exquisite colour palette Mornington Crescent Looking South II is an extraordinary portrayal of Frank Auerbach’s familiar surroundings; a demonstration of the artist’s command of paint and a token of the artist’s ‘love affair’ with the city. As the artist explained: “this part of London is my world” (the artist cited in: Michael Peppiat, Tate, no.14, Spring 1988).