Damn, girl! The lady in this Lisa Yuskavage painting's got a motor in the back of her Honda.

The artist is known for painting cartoonish nudes with exaggerated boobs and booty, and this piece is no exception. Some critics interpret her work as a critical take on the overly sexualized images of women we are constantly battered over the head with in the media and popular visual culture. If you prescribe to this perspective, the creepyness of the warped body can be understood as a feminist strategy. 

Others may see the pornographic nature of her work as totally indulgent, a fantasy of luscious ladies that happen to be painted by a woman. The soft lighting, pleasant colors and gentle disposition of these girls on display may reaffirm this opinion. For instance, the figure here is looking at a small picture of a schoolgirl on the wall, giving a childlike air that pops up in a lot of her work and adds to the yuck-factor.

I think both arguments are valid, but it’s sufficient to say that whatever the reason you like the painting (or don’t), Yuskavage knows how to get a conversation going.

Discuss amongst yourselves. In the meantime, I’ll be here, envying this crazy be-hind.