Colour Her Gone 1962

Pauline Boty’s “Colour Her Gone” uses oil paint to bring together the aesthetics of fine art and mass media in a way that is both technically skilled and conceptually rich. The painting's surface is divided into distinct zones, each rendered with a different approach. The central panel features a carefully painted portrait of Marilyn Monroe, with attention to her luminous skin and platinum blonde hair, framed by vivid roses. These are traditional fine art techniques. In contrast, the surrounding areas embrace the bold, flat colors of Pop Art, with simplified floral patterns that mimic wallpaper, and the abstract shapes of a magazine collage. Boty's process involves a blend of careful rendering and expressive mark-making. The juxtaposition of these diverse elements creates a visual tension, questioning the traditional boundaries between high art and popular culture. Boty isn't just painting a portrait; she’s also commenting on the construction of celebrity, and the labour that goes into building an image. By embracing the aesthetics of both fine art and mass media, Boty challenges us to reconsider the value we place on different forms of visual culture, urging us to look beyond conventional hierarchies.