Nick Currie (born February 11, 1960 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK)… Read Full Bio ↴Nick Currie (born February 11, 1960 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK), more popularly known under the artist name Momus (after the Greek god of mockery), is a songwriter, writer, blogger and artist. Most of his songs are self-referential or postmodern.

For more than twenty years he has been releasing, to only marginal commercial and critical success, playful and transgressive albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes seemingly random use of decontextualized pieces of continental (mostly French) philosophy, and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, orientalism, and a respect for otherness." He is also known in certain circles outside the U.S. as a producer. He is fascinated by identity, Japan, the avant-garde, time travel and sex. Live Momus shows are rare but when he does perform he often sings the crowd favourite 'maf' from the Stars Forever LP.
He wears a patch over his right eye because he lost the use of it after contracting acanthamoeba keratitis from a contact lens case washed with Greek tap water.

Nick Currie currently resides in Osaka, Japan.

The Painter and His Model
Momus Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What will I use to reproduce your cotton dress on canvas?
Strips from this abandoned cotton dress
And what will I use to reproduce the fabric of these panties?
Shreds from these discarded underclothes
And what will I use to reproduce this little pink mouth
With lips but no teeth?
Lips but no teeth

The painter and his model, the girl
The theatre and its double, the world

Only the perfect medium can reproduce the beauty
Of eyes and lips and flesh and teeth and hair
Only the best materials can capture these feelings
For eyes and lips and teeth and flesh and hair
The ultimate unity of fingers, brush and breast
Feel my fingers brush your breast

The painter and his model, the girl
The theatre and its double, the world

Overall Meaning

In "The Painter and His Model" by Momus, the lyrics are discussing the process of a painter attempting to recreate the beauty of his model on canvas. The painter asks himself what he will use to accurately capture the texture and color of the cotton dress the model is wearing, and then questions how he will reproduce the delicate fabric of her undergarments. The painter even contemplates how he will capture the details of the model's lips, with lips but no teeth, to create a realistic portrait.

The overarching theme of the song is the relationship between the painter and his model, which is both intimate and professional. The painter needs the model to complete his vision, but also desires her through his brushstrokes. The model, in turn, is both objectified and empowered by the artist's gaze. Momus also explores the concept of art as a reflection of life and how the relationship between art and reality can become blurred.

Overall, "The Painter and His Model" is a commentary on the creative process and the relationship between creativity and human experience. It draws parallels between the creation of art and the interaction between people, emphasizing the importance of capturing the details of life in order to create a truly accurate depiction.

Line by Line Meaning

What will I use to reproduce your cotton dress on canvas?
The painter is inquiring about how to paint the cotton dress on canvas.

Strips from this abandoned cotton dress
The painter plans to use strips from an abandoned cotton dress to paint.

And what will I use to reproduce the fabric of these panties?
The painter is curious to know what to use to paint the fabric of the panties.

Shreds from these discarded underclothes
The painter is thinking of using shreds from discarded underclothes to paint the panties.

And what will I use to reproduce this little pink mouth With lips but no teeth?
The painter is wondering how to paint a mouth that has lips but no teeth.

Lips but no teeth
The painter is using 'lips but no teeth' to describe the pink-colored mouth and is thinking of how to paint it.

Only the perfect medium can reproduce the beauty Of eyes and lips and flesh and teeth and hair
The painter believes that only a perfect medium can truly capture the beauty of the model's eyes, lips, flesh, teeth, and hair.

Only the best materials can capture these feelings For eyes and lips and teeth and flesh and hair
The painter thinks that only the best materials can capture the emotions emanating from the model's eyes, lips, teeth, flesh, and hair.

The ultimate unity of fingers, brush and breast Feel my fingers brush your breast
The painter is expressing how there is an indescribable unity between their fingers on the brush and the model's breast. The painter then proceeds to physically touch the model's breast so as to capture its essence through painting.

The painter and his model, the girl The theatre and its double, the world
The painter and the model he is painting represent a metaphorical play with its real-life counterpart being the world outside of the studio.

Contributed by Mila I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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