Red Grooms’ Mango Mango is a perfect example of American Pop Art. The art depicts the lifestyle and culture of the time with its bright use of colors and harsh, but intricate, lines. The museum perfectly described the piece by saying, “[the] caricatured gender roles suggest a mashup of Hollywood, cartoons, and other imagery,” (Fleming Museum). The two figures are smoking while resting in what the museum describes as a provocative position as Hollywood movies did back in the late twentieth century. The cartoon aspect of the piece is shown by the use of colors and the fact that the colors are in contrast with each other instead of blending (Encyclopedia of Art History). Without reading the information card, a viewer can immediately see the aesthetics…show more content… The woman seems to be the focal point of the picture regardless of the fact that the two figures take up the same amount of space. The woman’s dress draws the viewer’s eyes because the green is more vibrant compared to the brown suit. Still, the details of the dress are the same color as the background which makes it still aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The woman’s face is the most emphasized part of the picture; however it is not because her skin is white. Rather, it is because of the contrast between the green background and the red outlines of her silhouette. The man does not have as much contrast compared to the woman. For example, although the purple and orange on his face are somewhat contrasting they are not the complete opposite on the color wheel which makes the colors stand out less. The only part of the man that is in complete contrast is the tie compared to his shirt. However, the tie and shirt are a small detail compared to the rest of the portrait. Therefore Grooms most likely wanted the female to be the main focus of the piece since she has more…show more content… Ro Gallery made it a point to talk about how Grooms put humor into every piece that he created. With Mango Mango, Grooms may have been trying to hint at the fact that Hollywood movies are too unrealistic to show actual emotions. Though the woman is bent over in a “seductive” manner, the way her body is looks uncomfortable. Grooms could be referencing almost every Hollywood love scene and how the camera captures beauty in the awkwardness of the action.
The piece has similar characteristics to Andy Warhol. The art work was made by silkscreening which was a common method used by Warhol in his pictures of celebrities (Larsson). Not only was the type of canvas the same; Mango Mango and Warhol pieces, such as his Marilyn Monroe pictures, have a graphic design element to them as well. Unlike Warhol’s most famous pieces, Grooms took a general approach by not using famous faces. By being more general, Mango Mango can reference a lot of different Hollywood love