Frank AUERBACH

Alongside Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach is one of the leading names of the London School of Artists and is rightly considered one of the most important contemporary artists in Western European art. The park at Primrose Hill is an iconic subject withing Auerbach’s oeuvre, his work and life having long been centred Camden Town and its surrounding areas. During the 1960s Auerbach produced a significant series of drawings called the "Primrose Hill" drawings and many of which relate to subsequent paintings.

Study for Primrose Hill, is a profound exploration of the urban landscape characterised by its intense and vigorous line. Committed to capturing the essence of the world around him, Auerbach has worked directly from observation, setting up his easel outdoors to capture the changing light and atmosphere of the area in a few harsh, sharp but carefully considered set of marks. These drawings have a meditative and introspective feel, as they often involved Auerbach revisiting the same subjects over time, exploring different perspectives and interpretations, allowing him to delve deeper into the essence of the place and the emotional response it evoked in him.