Maenads 2015

Editor: So, here we have John Currin’s 2015 oil painting, "Maenads". There’s a sort of… playful strangeness to it, like a Botticelli painting filtered through a contemporary, almost ironic lens. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Strangeness is definitely part of its allure, isn't it? I see Currin playing with art history. He’s referencing classical ideals of beauty, but twisting them, pushing them to a point that’s both familiar and unsettling. He's poking fun, but lovingly, wouldn't you agree? Think about the Renaissance nudes, then think of today's emphasis on "perfect bodies"... What's Currin trying to do here? Editor: So, he’s sort of holding up a mirror to both eras? The poses feel very deliberate, and those slightly exaggerated features almost satirize our contemporary obsessions. I hadn't quite thought of it that way. Curator: Exactly! And look at the treatment of the flesh, that hyper-realistic yet somewhat artificial skin tone. There’s a dreaminess in this style but it's also incredibly present. Currin masterfully puts into perspective art of the past with present themes. He seems fascinated, perhaps even troubled, by what remains timeless. Editor: It makes me think about how beauty standards are always changing, but also, weirdly, staying the same. Something feels incredibly relevant about those kinds of contrasts! Curator: Right? What’s powerful here, to me, is that Currin doesn’t give us easy answers. This kind of reflection, however ambiguous, helps to remind me that this artwork doesn’t happen in a vacuum. I really like the apples the maenad is holding - the fruit just tastes sweeter. Editor: That's a good point! It has given me something to think about, to go away and explore some more for myself. Curator: Couldn't have said it better. It’s a rabbit hole of beauty, critique, and a little bit of tongue-in-cheek humor. Now off you go and tell others.