Ruth 1994

Frank Auerbach made this etching called Ruth, and when you look at it, you see how the image flickers into being out of a jumble of etched lines. I can imagine Auerbach working on the plate, scraping and reworking it. What was he thinking when he made it? He was known for his thick, almost sculptural paint application, and here, even in the etching, you sense that same building up and taking away. Look at the cluster of lines that forms the head – it’s like he’s searching for the form, finding it and losing it again in the web of marks. The lines are really energetic, like he’s trying to capture a fleeting expression or a momentary glimpse of the sitter. It reminds me of other artists, like Giacometti, who also used line to explore the fragility and impermanence of human form. They’re all talking to each other across time, working through similar ideas. Painting is a conversation that never ends. It’s about questioning, exploring, and allowing for things to emerge through the act of making.