Mornington Crescent 1965

Frank Auerbach painted ‘Mornington Crescent’ using thick impasto to depict the urban landscape. The heavy application transforms the scene into a field of abstracted shapes, blurring the line between representation and pure form. The motif of the city, teeming with life and choked with smog, has long been a source of inspiration and anxiety across various cultural epochs. Think of Piranesi’s etchings of Rome, a grandiose yet unsettling maze of structures, or the stark industrial landscapes in German Expressionist paintings. In this painting, the chaotic arrangement of structures might evoke a psychological reading of urban alienation. The emotional weight conveyed through Auerbach’s brushstrokes, reminiscent of Soutine, suggests a deeply personal and perhaps turbulent relationship with the urban environment. It's not merely a depiction, but an emotional state rendered visible. The city emerges as a psychological space, an expression of inner turmoil. It is in this cyclical interplay between form and feeling that we find the enduring power of art.