Importance of Association IV
- Lisa Yuskavage, American, 1962-
- Born: Philadelphia, PA
- Work Locations: New York, NY
Lisa Yuskavage combines the classical painting techniques of the Renaissance masters with the tawdry content of soft porn. Along with John Currin and Catherine Howe, Yuskavage mocks sexual stereotypes of women with parody and hyperbole. Through the exaggeration of the female anatomy, she exposes the ludicrous and abusive nature of the male fantasy. Her figures are endowed with all of the traits of a sexual nymphet. According to male sexual desire, such attributes would be considered "assets," yet from a female perspective, the overly inflated breasts would be nothing more than a burden.
While sarcastically condemning images of objectified women, her work also hints at a crisis in female subjectivity. Women, confronted with images in the media that simultaneously preach sexual liberation and sexual exploitation, enter into an ambivalent relationship with their bodies. Yuskavage's work aims to reveal this sexual double standard. This paradox is captured in Yuskavage’s work, "Importance of Association IV," with unflinching honesty.
Born in 1962 in Philadelphia, Lisa Yuskavage received her BFA. from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University in 1984 and her MFA. from the Yale University School of Art in 1986. She lives and works in New York.
- “Disruption: Works from the Vicki and Kent Logan Collection” — Denver Art Museum, 1/13/2022
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