Ken Currie
Encyclopedia
Ken Currie is a Scottish painter, one of the most influential living artists in Scotland
. His paintings are displayed in public and museum collections worldwide.
Currie's paintings are primarily concerned with how the human body
is affected by illness
, ageing
and physical injury
. Closely related to these themes, his work also deals with social
and political issues and philosophical questions. Although many of the images dealing with, for example, metaphysical questions do not feature figures, a human presence is nevertheless suggested.
He was labeled as one of the New Glasgow Boys along with Peter Howson
, Adrian Wisniewski and the late Steven Campbell
who studied together at the Glasgow School of Art
.
Massacre in 1987 and is displayed on the ceiling of the People's Palace
.
Currie was commissioned by the University of Edinburgh
to paint a portrait of Peter Higgs
, the theoretical physicist, which was unveiled in 2009. He is a "reluctant portraitist", and this was only his second portrait.
He said, referring to the Higgs boson
, "I am very interested in Peter's work. I don't for one second claim to grasp the theory, but I do understand the sublime, and there is a sublime quality to it all, a beauty, an awesome quality. In some respects, the subject is quite terrifying."
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. His paintings are displayed in public and museum collections worldwide.
Currie's paintings are primarily concerned with how the human body
Human body
The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
is affected by illness
Illness
Illness is a state of poor health. Illness is sometimes considered another word for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist...
, ageing
Ageing
Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in a person over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline...
and physical injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
. Closely related to these themes, his work also deals with social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
and political issues and philosophical questions. Although many of the images dealing with, for example, metaphysical questions do not feature figures, a human presence is nevertheless suggested.
He was labeled as one of the New Glasgow Boys along with Peter Howson
Peter Howson
Peter Howson OBE is a Scottish painter. He was an official war artist in the 1993 Bosnian Civil War.Peter Howson was born in London and moved with his family to Prestwick, Ayrshire, when Howson was aged four...
, Adrian Wisniewski and the late Steven Campbell
Steven Campbell (artist)
Steven Campbell was a painter from Scotland. He died in 2007.-Biography:Campbell was born in Glasgow and worked as an engineer before studying at Glasgow School of Art as a mature student, from 1978 to 1982...
who studied together at the Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
.
Works
His Glasgow History Mural was commissioned on the 200th anniversary of the Calton weaversCalton weavers
The Calton weavers were a community of handweavers established in the community of Calton, then in Lanarkshire just outside Glasgow, Scotland in the 18th century. In 1787 the weavers went on strike...
Massacre in 1987 and is displayed on the ceiling of the People's Palace
People's Palace
The People's Palace and Winter Gardens in Glasgow, Scotland is a museum and glasshouse situated in Glasgow Green, and was opened on 22 January, 1898 by the Earl of Rosebery....
.
Currie was commissioned by the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
to paint a portrait of Peter Higgs
Peter Higgs
Peter Ware Higgs, FRS, FRSE, FKC , is an English theoretical physicist and an emeritus professor at the University of Edinburgh....
, the theoretical physicist, which was unveiled in 2009. He is a "reluctant portraitist", and this was only his second portrait.
He said, referring to the Higgs boson
Higgs boson
The Higgs boson is a hypothetical massive elementary particle that is predicted to exist by the Standard Model of particle physics. Its existence is postulated as a means of resolving inconsistencies in the Standard Model...
, "I am very interested in Peter's work. I don't for one second claim to grasp the theory, but I do understand the sublime, and there is a sublime quality to it all, a beauty, an awesome quality. In some respects, the subject is quite terrifying."