Sep 04 2014
-
Oct 31 2014
“MARS ATTACKS!” New Works by International Mixed Media Artist Robert Mars

“MARS ATTACKS!” New Works by International Mixed Media Artist Robert Mars

Presented by JoAnne ARTMAN Gallery at JoAnne ARTMAN Gallery

Artist Statement

Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrates the icons of the 1950’s and 60’s by taking inspiration from this culture long past. Through the application of a rich color palette and tongue-in-cheek attitude, Mars’ paintings evoke a vintage quality of design and pay homage to the idealized age of growth and hopefulness that was prevalent in the USA at the end of the Depression. A time before the internet and mobile technology, where information was not instantly available to millions and there was no such thing as instant internet celebrities, and instead people lived with the myth of the unique, untouchable and unforgettable personalities of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley.

 

A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, Mars begins the creative process by preparing his surface with multiple layers of brown paper in order to define the edges and delineate the background planes of color. He then alternates layers of paint and vintage paper ephemera, sanding away portions of the layers as he works, revealing the desired portions of under painting with the overall intention to provide the viewer with a muted window into America’s past. Chronicling this fascination with 1950’s and 60’s iconography, Mars has produced a body of artwork from his studio in New York that celebrates the commonplace objects and icons of an America long past, in a thoroughly modern and exquisitely constructed manner. His eye for a distinct facet of American history is impeccable and his ability to manipulate the color and wordplay of vintage printed material has earned him reference with the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard?Diebenkorn among other masters from the School of Pop.

Dates & Times

2014/09/04 - 2014/10/31

Additional time info:

Artist Reception: September 4th, 2014 from 6-8pm to coincide with Laguna Beach ArtWalk

Please RSVP: by September 1st, 2014

Location Info

JoAnne ARTMAN Gallery

326 North Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651