Seated Figure l, created in 1965, marks a pivotal point in Frank Auerbach's career, a time when he was exploring the boundaries between figuration and abstraction. The work coincides with his move to Marlborough Fine Art in the same year, a development that provided him with greater resources and visibility. This period also saw the emergence of the so-called 'School of London', a loosely associated group of figurative painters based in London that included Auerbach alongside artists such as Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. Although the term 'School of London' was not coined until the catalogue of R. B. Kitaj's 1976 Hayward Gallery exhibition, it aptly captures the shared commitment of these artists to the innovation of figurative painting at a time.

The composition embodies the dialogue between the figurative and the abstract through the depiction of a seated female figure, viewed at an angle, with her right leg raised onto the chair upon which she sits. Her form is partially abstracted; rendered in an expressionistic chiaroscuro, the limbs and torso seem to dissolve into the dense network of hatched marks that make up the background, built up through layers of charcoal and crayon. The interplay of whites, greys and blacks creates a striking contrast of light and shadow. This tonal contrast not only defines the figure but also lends the work a psychological intensity and a sense of spatial depth.

Auerbach's technique, evident in other works from the preceding decade, involved an organic process of layering, smudging and erasure. This approach can be seen in the background of Seated Figure l, where similarly there are hints at numerous earlier incantations. The choice of medium is equally significant. The dry texture of the charcoal interacts with the fluid qualities of oil and crayon, enhancing the ongoing dialogue between structure and fluidity. The work also anticipates Auerbach's later development in the 1960s, when his application of paint became increasingly thick and sculptural.

Auerbach's sitters were never anonymous figures but individuals with whom he shared close personal relationships, such as his wife Julia, his long-term model Juliet Yardley Mills, and his friend Estella Olive West. These connections enabled Auerbach to move beyond the mere representation of likeness, allowing him instead to explore the physiognomy of the sitter - the distinctive character and presence that define their form and identity.