JOHN CURRIN

John Currin is a contemporary figural painter. He was born in 1962 in Boulder, Colorado. In an interview, Currin said “I decided to be an artist when I was eleven or twelve because that's what I was good at and it is where my heart lies. You're not as in control of what you ought to do as you think.” Currin took art lessons from his violin teacher's husband. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University and then earned his Master of Fine Art degree from Yale University in 1986. He now lives and works in New York City.

Shakespeare Actress, John Currin, Oil on Canvas, 48 x 44 ”, 1991

Currin says his paintings begin as a vaguely aesthetic idea. Otherwise, Currin does not have a universal method for generating his works. He likes to have subjects energetically extending out of the picture plane, like in sports and pornography. His subject matter primarily focuses on the female body and face. He saves mounds of images from newspapers, magazines, and videos to reference along with the mirror, models, and his wife. For example, his painting The Hobo was inspired by an old English engraving. His paintings are elegant and masterful in their craft and are often satirical depictions of conventions of beauty and contain awkward proportions reminiscent of mannerism. Themes present in his work are libertines, socialism, post-war Europe, and the “Bombastic burlesque of European life. Currin's paintings are undoubtedly influenced by Renaissance artists, but he also draws influence from Willem de Kooning, Paul Outerbridge, Eadward Muybridge, American movies, illustration, advertising, and Danish pornography.

Bea Arthur Naked, John Currin, Oil on Canvas, 38.2 x 32 ”, 1991

I am more intrigued by Currin's compositional layouts and craftsmanship than I am by his subject matter. I mostly seek to reference Currin's portraits and not his figural narratives. His portraits with a flat background are eloquent, penetrating, and achieve more universal human themes than his narratives. If I decide to solely do portraiture, I may use a flat background similar to Currin's in Shakespeare Actress and Bea Arthur Naked. His well blended painting style does not adhere to the progression of my work. My recent portraits are verging more on the style of Lucian Freud's works.

Skinny Woman, John Currin, Oil on Canvas, 50 x 38 ”, 1992