John Currin

Mary Boone Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2000

Limoges, Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain Limousin, John Currin: Oeuvres/Works: 1989-1995, July - September 1995, p. 62, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of light handling and wear along the sides of the canvas. Under ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
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Two decades since John Currin’s emergence as a bona fide enfant terrible of the art world, his work has lost none of its ability to shock and intrigue. Currin is a masterful painter whose virtuosity makes paintings such as The Purification all the more striking. It is impossible to remain unmoved in the face of such imagery. The sumptuous technique renders the figures, in particular their clothing, with an undeniable vitality. This intimate scene is loaded with a multitude of potential narratives that are never quite revealed to the viewer. In typical Currin fashion the figures are situated in an anonymous space and this forces all of the attention onto the two protagonists at the center of the picture.  The tenderness of the contact of the woman towards the male figure suggests a great closeness between the two and yet the grotesque quality of the figure that faces the viewer creates a palpable sense of unease. Foregoing Currin’s typically overt sexual themes, this painting represents a work that is altogether far more subtle but no less challenging in its undertones, alluding to a more repressed sexuality. When one examines the painting more closely, connections to other Currin paintings become apparent. The most striking element of The Purification is undoubtedly the male figure that is also its most enigmatic. While the figure luxuriates in a profusion of bearded facial hair the rest of the figure’s appearance is seemingly more artificial. Thick clusters of lashes surround the figure’s large saucer like eyes resulting in a curiously feminine appearance. The sweater he dons suggests some kind of paternal figure and the tenderness of the touches between the figures can certainly be explained by this interpretation. The character wears the same kind of turtle-neck sweater as the male figures in Currin’s renowned paintings from 1993 Lovers and Lovers in the Country. All three of these paintings contain versions of Currin’s archetypal man: a lanky, bearded academic type. In The Purification, this archetypal man has become a hyperbole of Currin’s initial caricature to the point that he has become almost inhuman. The traditionally strong and dominant father figure is reduced to a pathetic figure of fun by Currin. The manner in which Currin has painted the male figure makes it possible to interpret him as looking both at the girl and beyond her towards the viewer. The vacant bright white eyes make us implicit in the situation and the intensity of the empty stare is undeniably arresting. One is reminded of portraits by Frans Hals, such as Peeckelhaering, from 1628-1630, whose figures similarly demonstrate an unsettling intensity in their gaze. This compelling and bewildering work is one of pure intrigue. The title emphatically increases the sense of mystery. What is the meaning of The Purification? Who is being purified and of what? Despite the more disturbing aspects of this painting, one cannot overlook the presence of some beautiful and moving elements. Small touches between them imbue this unsettling scene with bits of grace. Providing an entertaining and enticing entry into the work, these odd elements are also meant to confound us- to draw us in, to make us look, and ultimately force us to make conclusions about the meaning of the painting as a whole. Currin, in his virtuoso handling of the brush to paint the male figure’s sweater, channels the bravura of artists such as Hals and Tintoretto in a manner that few can match. The bizarre subject matter and collection of figures combined with such art historical references in style lies at the core of Currin’s entire artistic practice. Peter Schjeldahl observes “Currin unites extremes of low-down grotesquerie and classical elegance.” (Peter Schjeldahl, “The Elegant Scavenger.” New Yorker, February 22 and March 1, 1999, p. 174). This painting contains all of the qualities that make Currin so unique and engaging as an artist. Currin’s highly original subject matter and painting style combines with his exquisite skill to shed light on the complicated realm of love, relationships, and desire. There is a distinct eccentricity in The Purification that is both mysterious and captivating. Currin only allows for the semblance of a narrative to emerge from the painting, leaving the viewer with myriad unresolved questions: what is the girl’s expression at this moment, delight, sadness, pain? The blank face of the male figure facing us alludes to nothing and simply serves to engage the viewer into entering the painting’s intrigue. Currin strives for ambiguity of interpretation and achieves it magnificently with the present work.  The Purification brilliantly embodies all of Currin’s most enduring themes and interests in a most engaging painting. The mental exercise that The Purification's lack of resolution elicits from the viewer begs the question: in viewing the painting, is it us that is purified?