MEL RAMOS

Melvin John Ramos – USA (1935-2018).
An American figurative painter, advertising graphic artist, and educator, who most often specialized in paintings of female nudes in conjunction with consumer products. His works contain elements of realistic and abstract art, and the female nudes are based on images of classic "pin-up girls," which are strictly two-dimensional to the point of comic book rendition, yet very realistic. He is known for his iconic images of superheroes and sensual female nudes emerging from cornstalks or Chiquita bananas, jumping out of candies, or posing in Martini glasses. Mel Ramos became the uncrowned king of American advertising graphics at a time when the combination of female beauty and a promoted product was not yet considered a capital crime, and he was one of the pioneers of pop art in the USA.