(Ramos, Mel. Senorita Rio - The Queen of Spies. c. 1963. oil on canvas.)
His work has been popular ever since 1959 and he has participated in more than 120 shows. He studied at Sacramento State College and graduated in 1957. Soon after, he earned a Masters in Fine Arts in 1958 and became a teacher at various art institutions.
(Ramos, Mel. Chiquita. c. 1964. oil on canvas.)
In 1962 he began a series of garishly colored super-heroes from comic books in which he used a thick oleaginous pigment. In 1963 he was the first artist to be included in a collective exhibition called “Pop Goes the East” displayed at the Contemporary Art Museum in Houston, Texas.
(Ramos, Mel. Plenti Grand Odalisque. c. 1973. oil on canvas.)
By the mid-1960s Ramos had developed a Pop Art iconography by combining nude pin-up girls from American magazines and advertisements with branded products, using a sense of humor. Ramos gives most of his paintings a whimsical name.
(Ramos, Mel. The Nile Queen. c. 1963. oil on canvas.)
“I am for an art that attacks the eyes, I love sight thrills,” says Mel. Ramos also says, “I always make sure that my pictures are not too erotic and that they have a trace of humor.”
(Ramos, Mel. Kiss Me. c. 1965. oil on canvas.)
Mel Ramos has been famous for his Pop Art ever since 1959 and he has participated in more than 120 shows. Also, some say he represents Super realism as well, meaning that his subjects are depicted with a minute and impersonal exactitude of detail, either way, it is wonderful to look at and his work is much appreciated here!
Enjoy! :)
References: The Artists.org,Rogallery.com& Mel Ramos.com