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A California artist whose work reflects a variety
of styles from Pop Art to Surrealism, Mel Ramos
painted pretty, sexy women as pinups or
trophies as well highly realistic, almost trompe
l'oeil landscapes. A typical example of his Pop
style was "Chiquita," oil on canvas, 1964.
At the height of modernism in the 1950s, when
figuration almost died out across America, he
and other California artists kept it alive during
the 1960s. Portraiture was essentially dead at
that time, and although nudes were
occasionally painted, they were no longer
idealized. With society's increased openness
about sex, nudes became erotic and almost
pornographic.
Mel Ramos was born in Sacramento and
attended Sacramento City College from 1954
to 1955 and San Jose State College from 1955
to 1956. He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees. As a
student he painted symbolic, surrealistic works
that were influenced by Salvadore Dali. He
then experimented with Pop Art, abstraction
including a series of variations on Willem de
Kooning's "Woman" paintings, and photo-real
landscapes whose tone was hard and steely.
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