About this artwork

In this large, haunting self-portrait, Currie confronts his aging frame with an overt acknowledgement of his own mortality. He stands in front of a canvas while studying his naked body in a mirror. The reflected figure looks older and his expression is extremely sad. This without doubt, relates to the death of the artist’s father, whom Ken bore a striking resemblance to, the previous year. With stooped, exhausted postures, both figures are painted with a ghostly luminosity. Their intangible flesh is contrasted to the solidity of the stretcher and the silky globules of paint on the artist’s palette. With blood red paint dripping around the edge of the canvas emphasising the notion of dying, the artist looks back into the past, but also forward to his own aging and death.

Updated before 2020

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Ken Currie

Ken Currie