Sam McKinniss explores country music’s allure with Dolly Parton art

From Zayn Malik’s skull and crossbones tattoo to Lindsay Lohan’s infamous DUI arrest, these fleeting moments are immortalised in the extraordinary paintings made by Sam McKinniss (though he objects to the word “immortalised”). “Let's not get carried away,” he tells Dazed. “I don't think I have ever immortalised anything or anyone just because I have made a lot of paintings.”

Nevertheless, McKinniss’ artwork elevates and transfigures pop culture. Depicted on canvas, these otherwise ephemeral moments are anointed in some magic way, and we can’t help but reconsider them as frames in an unfolding, dramatic narrative. Whether it’s tabloid clickbait or a canonic figure, they’re lent a new dimension of fascination when they appear in an elegant painting by McKinniss (who is himself one of the most erudite and stylish figures in the art world today). 

The New York-based painter’s latest exhibition, Country Western at London’s Almine Rech Gallery, revels in all the melodramatic and glamorous excesses of America’s most beloved genre. He tells us, “As American life gets wackier and wackier, especially after Trump and the virus, a part of me wanted to look at something about it that was inarguably nice.”  

At first glance, it’s easy to think there’s something profoundly camp or eccentric about lavishing so much painterly skill on a portrait of Dolly Parton cuddling a kitten. But, talking to McKinniss, you’re reminded not only of the gravity and function of celebrity but also of the true power and significance of stardom. “It can be genuinely meaningful and fun to be swept up along with everybody else by some figure’s gigantic charisma, or by their understanding of what the population desires, coupled with their unique ability to give it to us,” he tells us. “Dolly Parton is as important to 20th century American letters as Joan Didion is, especially if you take Didion at her word, that, ‘We tell ourselves stories in order to live.’”

Above, take a look through the gallery for a glimpse of some of the artworks appearing in Country Western. Below, we talk to Sam McKinniss about the allure of country and western, the cult of celebrity, and the drama of everyday life. 

Please could you tell us a little more about what drew you to the world of country and western icons? 

Sam McKinniss: It's a pretty rich genre encompassing a fairly broad expanse of time and place, a range of styles and a trove of stars all striving for the same exact things: emotional sincerity, personal freedom, and a better life. It must also be said that country-western music is a uniquely American concept. As American life gets wackier and wackier, especially after Trump and the virus, a part of me wanted to look at something about it that was inarguably nice. 

With respect to that, I think I have the same attraction to country-western music and its icons as anybody else has. It sounds good and it looks great. Country music makes people feel better. Emmylou Harris is probably my favourite singer ever, even though I never got around to painting her. Anyway, it's not all about me. It's about making art that looks fantastic.  

More to the point, I was also inspired and energised to look further into this by Lil Nas X and his song ‘Old Town Road’, which obviously has made quite a large cultural impact in just the last couple of years. 

You’ve marvelled at Dolly Parton – her professionalism, her slick inscrutability. What do you think she represents as a cultural signifier?

Sam McKinniss: Dolly Parton is as important to 20th century American letters as Joan Didion is, especially if you take Didion at her word, that, ‘We tell ourselves stories in order to live.’ Dave Hickey once wrote, ‘People who say that country songs are made of clichés don't realise that clichés are dead language that a writer like Parton takes, slaps on the bottom and brings back to life.’ As far as what artists can do, bringing something back from the dead has got to be pretty high up there. 

Now to answer your question, Parton signifies glamour. But then again, her glamour is too obvious to even talk about. It’s a self-deprecatory joke. In that case, I think she also stands for good humour and generosity of spirit. Ultimately, however, she represents storytelling in the way Didion says is essential to human existence. This should not be underestimated. 

“I don't feel up to the task of describing my personal style, but I have been told before that I have one” – Sam McKinniss

Your paintings have immortalised popular culture moments most people would regard as ephemeral. How do you choose which figures to paint? And do you think there are any common threads linking your subjects? 

Sam McKinniss: Let's not get carried away. I don't think I have ever immortalised anything or anyone just because I have made a lot of paintings. Moments fade. At some point or another, everybody dies. This sad fact lends drama to the problem of everyday life, of being here with you, now. Make of that what you will but, personally, I find it incredibly difficult to relax. 

It is true that I am looking for scenes to paint, and very often my portrait subjects figure profoundly within the realm of pop culture, so, more often than not these people are performers, actors, entertainers, what have you. These types of people are very dramatic, and so they are more adept at delivering the thing that I'm looking for. The common thread, if there is one, is proof that I have ever felt alive.    

What do you feel about fandom and the cult of celebrity? Has it reached its apotheosis? 

Sam McKinniss: Talent brought out into the open market or thrust up on stage is a very powerful public force, one that revisits the culture over and over again after reimagining or reshaping itself in service to specific generational needs or concerns. There probably needs to be a youth culture in order for this to succeed as spectacularly as it does now, since it’s so much easier for young people to get excited about, you know, literally whatever. 

 It can be genuinely meaningful and fun to be swept up along with everybody else by some figure’s gigantic charisma, or by their understanding of what the population desires, coupled with their unique ability to give it to us. This is relevant to my work, although it's not always at the top of my mind. I don't need to understand how celebrity works, I just know that it does, or that it did work on me when I was younger. 

Quite simply, a celebrity is a person we celebrate. If I'm trying to explore or understand the qualities that give our era its cause for celebration, looking at celebrities would be a fairly straightforward approach. I have no idea if the cult of celebrity has reached its apotheosis. My parents probably thought The Beatles were an apotheosis, and before those guys, it must have been somebody else. My grandfather used to think Dolly Parton was really sexy and he celebrated her for it, but now I do that too, so go figure. He’s dead, but one thing we probably would still have agreed upon is that sex is exciting, and putting sexy people on TV was a good idea.

“I don't need to understand how celebrity works, I just know that it does, or that it did work on me when I was younger” – Sam McKinniss

I’m madly curious about your everyday life. Please could you tell us a bit about the shape of your days? And any rituals you may have? 

Sam McKinniss: I wake up every morning and drink a pot of coffee. Then I tend to my various commitments until it's time for bed. 

How would you describe your personal style/aesthetic, as an artist and as an individual? 

Sam McKinniss: I’m a figurative painter making a pass at pop art. I am also somewhat romantic. I have done a fairly credible job with these styles, I think. When working, I prefer elegant mark-making, high chroma colours, dramatic tension in the activity depicted. This has all been done in an attempt to understand how I feel about being here with you and everyone else. Right now, I don't feel up to the task of describing my personal style, but I have been told before that I have one.

Which other artists/musicians/writers/fictional characters, if any, do you feel a particular affinity to? 

Sam McKinniss: John Singer Sargent and Lana Del Rey.

Finally, what paintings are you working on at the moment? What do you think the focus of your next show may be? 

Sam McKinniss: In addition to the show in London, I’m opening a major solo project titled Costume Drama in Beverly Hills any day now, so lately I’ve been focused on the last-minute logistical details involved with that presentation. After that, I’m planning on taking a little break so I can decide what to do next. But one idea I had recently was to make a show called Misery which would consist mainly of paintings of people winning Academy Awards. 

Country Western by Sam McKinniss is showing at London’s Almine Rech Gallery until May 22, 2021