Frank Auerbach

Returning to the expressive quality of painted portraiture, the artist Frank Auerbach is particularly expressive with his strong, bold strokes. Each piece bears a definite abstract quality that serve to only further emphasise their presence. Being able to see and almost touch the texture provides a further sense of depth as one is perhaps able to gain a glimpse in the creation of the piece as the artist worked vividly with the infinite workability of paint.




As such, Auerbach's portraiture captures the essence and identity of his subjects on a spiritual level rather than a physical one. It is as almost as if we are meant to look past the physical appearance of the individual, and instead delve into the inner soul.

Cian Mcloughlin

I find contemporary artist Cian Mcloughlin portraiture particularly captivating using a wild array of mark making to capture his subjects. Being expressive in nature, Mcloughlin allows his use of media to flow with each piece with bold marks and leaking drips that seemingly blend his subjects into the background as one with the piece. This creates an interesting atmosphere to each piece leading to interpretations pertaining to the identity of the subject and their emotional state.



With this approach, I wonder if it contains more depth to the portrait and identity of the individual versus that with photography. Does Mcloughlin use of traditional media capture the soul or essence of the subject more so than Greenberg's use of photography? If so, why? I believe this to be an interesting area of question particularly in portraiture that I may explore further.



You can find more of Cian Mcloughlin's work here.