Ruth [wrapper for etched copper plates] 1994

This is an etched copper plate of Ruth by Frank Auerbach. A flurry of nervous energy and mark making! I imagine Auerbach hunched over the plate, the scratching of the etching tool a kind of dance with the material. You know, sometimes making a painting is like wrestling with an idea – pushing, pulling, scraping, and layering until something recognizable emerges. What was he thinking as he built up this image? Was he trying to capture a likeness, an emotion, a fleeting moment? The lines are so immediate, raw, like a snapshot of thought itself. It reminds me of other artists, like Giacometti, who used line to explore the fragile nature of being. This print invites us to consider what it means to see, to feel, and to connect with one another. Art is an ongoing conversation, a process of exchange and discovery!