'Paint Made Flesh': Figurative Painter John Currin

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"PAINT MADE FLESH," the Phillips Collection's new show, looks at post-World War II figure paintings from Europe and the U.S. to suggest that paint is the best medium for conveying the cultural significance of flesh. Among works by Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud are paintings by John Currin, an American painter known for his provocative works depicting the human body. Currin will be at the Phillips on Thursday to discuss his work.

» EXPRESS: "Paint Made Flesh" suggests that paint's material properties make the medium well-suited to conveying metaphors for human vulnerability. How accurate do you think that is for your own work?
» CURRIN: I suppose that there's an obvious metaphor between the surface of oil paint and flesh. It's vulnerable the same way that flesh is, and it was probably invented in order to render flesh. I certainly subscribe to that, and the most exciting and difficult part of painting is rendering flesh. It's not a specific color, so it's a mystery how to get it right.

» EXPRESS: The majority of your work is of the female figure. Why is that?
» CURRIN: The simple answer is that I enjoy looking at women more than I enjoy looking at men, but the more pretentious answer is that I find it easier to think of metaphors and allegories when I'm using women in paintings.

» EXPRESS: The influence of European painters on your work is obvious, but in what ways does American art influence your work?
» CURRIN: I don't know many American painters that are influences besides de Kooning, and I don't know if he counts. It's more American advertising, magazines, fashion photographers. It's the pop-culture things in America that are an effect instead of refined art.

» EXPRESS: How have you changed how you depict figures over the years?
» CURRIN: In old Hollywood movies, actresses would be in their late 20s or early 30s, but they all looked 35. Now everyone looks like a teenager, even if they're middle-aged. It gets reflected in my work. I never used to have toothy smiles in paintings, but at a certain point I decided to show smiling teeth. On one hand, it's something that shows up in advertising, but on the other hand, it seemed very archaic and reminded me of old Greek chorus figures that have terrifying smiles. Sometimes things seem like they're cheap, momentary pop references, but they can have an ancient echo.

» EXPRESS: What are you working on now?
» CURRIN: I'm working on nudes. I worked on Danish pornography for the last few years … but I'm still working from some of those same references. It's not really sexual images but the trappings — the faces, wallpaper and poses. I'm working on a big painting of two women grappling and a painting of two women on a beach with some flowering branches in their hands.

» Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW, Thu., June 25, 6:30 p.m., $12; 202-387-2151. (Dupont Circle)

Written by Express contributor Amy Cavanaugh
Art courtesy John Currin, "The Hobo"/courtesy The Phillips Collection