Frank Auerbach’s Haunting Heads at The Courtauld

What some might consider obsessive, Frank Auerbach deems necessary. Renowned for his industrious approach, the German artist engages in a continuous cycle of drawing, erasing, working, and reworking his portraits. This relentless pursuit allows him to pin down his subjects and remove them from time.

The Courtauld in London showcases Auerbach’s haunting portraits from the 1950s and 60s in the exhibition, The Charcoal Heads (9 February–27 May 2024), bringing together for the first time a series of large-scale portraits he made during his youth.

Auerbach captured these people in post-war Britain, a time when people were remaking their lives after the destruction of war. The portraits are mesmerising, melancholic, and moving.

Sombre expressions grace faces emerging from dark shadows, their intensity heightened by the stark play of light that accentuates the contours of their heads and jaws.

In Head of Helen Gillespie II (1962), a canvas dedicated to a stern-looking woman, Auerbach’s frenetic and energetic lines scratch the paper, revealing a deeply layered and textured work. Although many of his portraits are rendered in greyscale, this specific piece stands out with vibrant flashes of red chalk. These bold accents contribute to the overall dramatic tone, undoubtedly captured in a moment of intense expression.