Art project
Still life photography of the female nude in provocative backdrops
My art project is aimed at the younger generation and is particularly male although females can also enjoy what I have in mind. I have decided to take some photos of nude women and create a collage of images which are interspersed together with popular advertisements. The artist who inspired me in this sense is Mel Ramos whose portrayals of erotic female nudes against advertising backdrops caused a sensation when they were first portrayed in exhibitions.
The female body should be taken as a holistic experience. The way the sexual details are portrayed especially the breasts show that women can provide erotic stimulation and this causes provocation and consternation. The photographs create a sense of urgency and the way the woman’s body is portrayed is provocative and daring. I will also choose models that have some forms of erotic fetishes such as hairy bodies and suchlike. This is art since it reveals a sense of exhilaration with the nude female body providing a sense of artistic liberation.
The art exhibition will be free since it is my own work and I will not charge a fee for admission. The setting is in a bar on the university campus where students and other visitors can gorge on the photos showing women completely naked and in provocative positions very much in keeping with Mel Ramos’ art portrayals.
Probably one of the most popular artists in the modernist, circuit, Mel Ramos surely has a style which is infectious and has a lot going for it. He bases his art on several of the most popular advertising messages of the iconic 1950’s and 1960’s with particular reference to the Coca Cola advert. His use of nude women in suggestive and erotic poses demonstrates that he is very much au courant with what was going on in the hearts and minds of adults and young people. His style was very much influenced by the heady imagery of women especially in the use of the Coca Cola advert.
In his first really successful sculpture, Ramos uses the colourful Coca Cola advert as a background with a nude woman on the frontispiece. This way she holds her blonde hair in instructive as she seems to be erotically inclined to attract and to portray a sense of innate attractiveness. Ramos is very skilful at using the colourings with alacrity, the purple skin at the background moulds quite magically with the advert which is on a centre piece and blends well with the woman’s skin. It is probably one of his finest and most effective works and was certainly a hugely interesting start to his career.
However there is also the notion of popular art which also takes on a whole new dimension. Andy Warhol’s works especially those with a populist theme such as the Marilyn Diptych create controversy in more ways than one. First of all, how can you describe a whole host of Marilyn Monroe stills as art? Is there any creative impulse in it? However, even if these questions remain unanswered, there is still the debate on its effectiveness which is undoubtedly quite powerful.
I believe my exhibition will stimulate creativity in the context of Andy Warhol and Mel Ramos’ works.
References:
Shields, Scott A.; Johnathon Keats, Diana L. Daniels (2012). Mel Ramos: 50 Years of Superheroes, Nudes, and Other Pop Delights. San Francisco: Modernism, Inc. ISBN 978-09830673-2-0.
Dalkey, Victoria (June 3, 2012). "Mel Ramos retrospective at Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum". Sacramento Bee (Sacramento). Retrieved June 3, 2012.
