Our Studio Sunday artist this week is John Currin. Currently based in New York, Currin is known for figurative painting that draws from influences including contemporary fashion and magazines as well as renaissance-era romantic painting styles.

Located in a building in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, Currin’s studio here looks amazingly clean, and has a sort of old-fashioned elegance to it. The dark-colored hardwood floors are an interesting change from the concrete floors that I more often see in art studios, and particularly in painting studios – I think I might be scared to spill paint on such beautiful looking floors!

The studio furniture, as well, has a sense of old-world style. The lounge chair to Currin’s left in the photograph looks straight out of a 17th-century portrait painting – I wonder if the artist  tends to sit in it while  he is working, or if he uses it more as reference and inspiration? There looks to be a mannequin sitting in the chair in this photo, most likely used for figure studies.

I also love the little basket of fruit just behind the artist – it’s a very classical bit of still-life painting equipment. The single easel and small table of supplies suggests that Currin has a very focused painting practice, probably taking his time to work through each of his images, which are fittingly detailed and blended.

Currin is currently represented in New York and Paris by Gagosian Gallery. His paintings have sold at auction for as much as $1,900,000 USD, putting Currin among the highest-paid living artists today.

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