Free in-person workshop with The Courtauld Young People’s Programme
Suitable for ages 16-18
Booking is essential due to popular demand
Join us to explore a remarkable series of hauntingly beautiful, large-scale charcoal drawings by Frank Auerbach, one of the world’s most celebrated living artists (born 1931) currently on display at The Courtauld Gallery.
During his early years as a young artist in post-war London, Auerbach spent months on each drawing, working and reworking them during numerous sessions with his sitters. The marks of this prolonged and vigorous process of creation are evident in the finished drawings, which are richly textured and layered. Sometimes, he would even break through the paper and patch it up before carrying on. Auerbach’s heads emerge from the darkness of the charcoal as vital and alive, having come through a lengthy period of struggle – the image repeatedly created and destroyed. The character of the drawings speaks profoundly of their times as people were remaking their lives after the destructions and upending of war.
The workshop will explore how for Auerbach, painting and drawing have always been deeply entwine and provide a unique opportunity to learn more about Frank Auerbach, view these powerful works up close with art history educator and experiment practically with his materials, techniques and approaches in collaboration with a contemporary artist.
