Introduction:
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 which may be found at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
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.
The Americans invented the burger so one should not be surprised that Ramos used it to convey another of his most successful sculptures. The aesthetics of the piece are quite brilliant, here we have another nude woman who seems to be enjoying the tease as she covers up her bare breast and private parts with her knees. It is a juicy sculpture and the tones of the body also demonstrate how Ramos understands the female body. The burger is also very aptly described with the cheese falling out of the burger and the actual meat quite juicy and succulent. One can almost be expected to eat the burger there and then! However Ramos has a tendency and a knack of creating erotic expectancy in the way he portrays the women who are always in some sort of provocative pose and this Lady Burger is no exception. This compares intriguingly with McDonalds adverts of the 1960’s especially in the manner with which the woman is portrayed yet again and the accuracy of the burger reproduction
Heidi Heinz
Heinz tomato ketchup remains to this day one of the most popular sauces for anything to do with meat and chicken. Mel Ramos saw the potential of the way the bottle is shaped to create another of his fantastic sculptures which also demonstrate his heady thoughts as regards the female sex. The way Heidi is hiding her breasts and private parts with the plastic bottle also creates a subtle tendency for eroticism and the black hair style which dates back to the heady 1960’s is also instructive. As in previous sculptures, one marvels at the way Ramos portrays the female figure and skin which is pretty erotic to say the least. Heidi appears to be beckoning one to take off the bottle and reveal her in her full frontal nudity. Ramos again has a knack for getting to the heart of the matter with the use of simple colours which do not rock the artistic boat but which also demonstrate a certain knack for directness.
Martini Miss
Another brilliant aesthetic sculpture by Ramos is the Headingly titled Martini Miss. Here we do not have a bottle of Martini to brighten up the day but a glass which is usually used for that ubiquitous drink together with an olive spiked by a toothpick at the bottom of the sculpture. Our martini Miss is pretty sexy, she’s erotic in the best sense of the word as she holds up her beautifully long legs in the air and holds her thighs with her hands. She looks very sultry and intensely wanting, this lady is definitely not for turning in any sense. Her hairdo is also typically 1960’s and yet again Ramos manages to convey the soft parts of the female flesh with an uncanny alacrity and beautiful intensity. Aesthetically the sculpture recreates all the emotion and intensity of the 1960’s, you could almost see the vision as an advert – I’m popping out of your Martini glass or something like that. It iss probably one of ramos’ best works in the sense that it creates a sense of heady tension, you’ll probably be thinking of Miss Martini as you sip your drink next time.
Chiquita banana
The banana has always been a fruit which is associated with sex somehow or another and here Ramos uses a pretty original concept with his model sprouting out of the banana like a mermaid. It is quite a striking pose to say the least especially with the banana skin hanging over the edges almost seeming to convey the impression of a gift and a surprise. This time, the woman does not intent to hide her bare breasts which are there for all to see in their beautiful intensity. She also strikes a typical Mel Ramos pose with her hand positioned subtly under her chin and her other hand suggestively disappearing into the body of the banana. It is one of those subtle and most intriguing poses aptly showing that the woman is out to get you. The Chiquita banana was a staple part of the advertising market in the 1960’s and here Ramos cleverly uses the fruit to come up with a heady sense of intoxication with his woman model as usual out for the kill in more ways than one.
AC Annie
This is another class Mel Ramos sculpture which focuses on the beauty of the female form and the sense of voyeurism which that creates. Here, the woman strikes another of those famous Mel Ramos poses as she holds her hair with her hand and the other is sensually positioned on her buttocks. Her blue eyes seem to be looking and saying that she’s available, a sensation which has to be felt as one looks from the other side of the keyhole. The green background is also typical 1960’s in its shade and one can already begin to conjure heady scenes of sex as the door opens and the nude woman makes herself available. Ramos attention to detail is excellent, from the shadows created by the hand on the buttocks to the desirable portrayal of the woman’s erect nipples. The brown hair is also an intrinsic part of the Ramos 1960’s style which portrays a woman at the very top of her erotic leaning. The keyhole element is also a tribute to the voyeuristic culture which prevailed in those days.
The use of enamel on steel was particularly important for Ramos’ artistic development. ‘Tea at 5pm’ is one of those works where the female figure is again important and as she reclines on the armchair, one has to admit that the erotic pose is quite fantastic and attractive. Ramos also includes an element of autobiographical detail in the work as the sketch which depicts the model is shown on the right hand side of the painting. The woman looks like being pretty authentic since she has the marks of her bikini on her breasts and thighs showing that she does not sunbathe in the nude. The décor of the room is very 1960’s with a stained glass window and a typical white armchair which looks very comfortable. All in all it is another of those classic Ramos paintings which demonstrates the beauty of the female figure and the expectancy created by the possibility of sex which appears to be one of the major preoccupations for Mel Ramos.
Pepsi Cola
This is a simply titled work but no less exceptional for its sense of heady eroticism. The nude model looks backward and although we barely see any of her private parts, her pert nipple stands out in astonishing virility. The Coca Cola bottle tap is almost being used as some sort of surfboard or restful object and the way it combines with the woman’s expression is quite instructive. All in all this is an instructive painting demonstrating the power of Ramos to create something out of nothing. The woman’s hair is again an important part of the painting as it is lush and impervious, showing a certain sense of devil may care attitude. The way the woman’s hands rest on the bottle tap is also aesthetically pleasing and quite ravishing at the same time.
The way in which the model is hugging the Coca Cola bottle is also suggestive since it demonstrates a certain fascination with the phallus imagery. Ramos is skilful at including a sultry expression in the woman’s eyes too.
Toblerone Tess
Toblerone Tess is another painting which has Ramos revert back to the 1960’s style. Although it is also quite erotic, it does have a very artistic feel to it. The sultry manner in which the woman is looking at the viewer demonstrates her intrinsic beauty and her capability to arouse, this is an important part of any Ramos painting. Although it was created in 2007, there is still substantial feel of beauty and heady romanticism in it with the Toblerone bar coming across like a surfboard although the whole situation is arguably quite ravishing. Will you me or the toblerone chocolate, the woman seems to ask? The pert nipple is once again an important part of the body figure and seems like a Ramos trademark as if we have discovered in our journey.
Works Cited:
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.
