Skinny White Girl I
acrylic on canvas
36" x 48"
2011
Private collection
acrylic on canvas
36" x 48"
2011
Private collection
This painting is an early experiment in the high-contrast, restrained palette, stencil-like style that Collins has been exploring for over a decade. Collins was inspired by a 2007 artwork titled, "Got Coke?" by the French artist, Christopher Dombres, whose polemic, pop designs Collins has long admired.
Here, Collins captures the haunting vacancy of supermodel, Kate Moss's gaze, which pierces through the austere, white background. Collins has stripped the composition down to its essential elements, challenging the limits of representation while highlighting the fundamental nature of iconic beauty.
The title of this artwork is a nod to Dombres' illustration and to another name for cocaine. The title also alludes to Moss herself, to her 2005 cocaine use scandal and to her infamous quote, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."
