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Frank Auerbach's studio is near Mornington Crescent and he has painted there since 1954, having left Nazi Germany aged eight and settled in London. He has painted what he calls 'this higgledy piggledy mess of a city' throughout his career. He was taught by David Bomberg at Borough Polytechnic, London after the older artist had fallen out of favour with the art establishment. Bomberg instilled in Auerbach the notion of the 'spirit in the mass', a method of becoming so acquainted with a subject that the artist loses all self-consciousness. In the words of the artist 'you find yourself creating a sense of mass on the flat surface simply because you felt it'. Auerbach's art seeks to reinforce the impressions of the eye (the 'stupid organ') with those of the other senses, especially touch.