Through his satirically over-sexualized depictions of contemporary women, John Currin highlights the female essence in a manner that provides his subjects a freedom to define themselves. In Amanda, 2003, a unique drawing with a counterpart painting, introduces the viewer to a softer facet of Currin’s work.

While the painting follows the Mannerist tradition of diagonal compositions and grandiose artifice, the present drawing allows us privileged insight into Currin’s idealization of the female form. Here, Currin shows no attempt to fetishize but instead renders the subject candidly. His use of chiaroscuro emphasizes her features, calling attention to her emotion and visceral depths. She is present as her own person — natural and spontaneous — the perfect woman in her own right, and Currin’s intention of capturing her unhampered by external cares asserts her own uniqueness. There is a palpable closeness between artist and subject, as the buoyancy of her nature corroborates affinity and rapport. Through the creative device of composition and skilled technical rendering, this work becomes exceedingly intimate, highlighting Currin’s tactful and considerate praise of the modern woman.

John Currin, Amanda, 2003, Image: ©PHILLIPS, Artwork: ©John Currin
- Provenance
  Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York
  Acquired from the above by the present owner