Oil paints on panels (1976)
With this piece, the artist wanted to help humanise an environment that is marked by industry and technology. His characters are reproduced with photographic precision. The panels are placed in diamond shapes in order to break the monotony of the rectangular wall. The images are typical of Pol Mara’s work: the beautiful young girl laughing, timid or provocative nudity, horses, sensuality, the “Make love, not war” atmosphere. The painting radiates the hectic pace of our time with a multitude of varied images and impressions which are characteristic of a modern metropolis. In “Thema’s” the artist is rather sober in his compositions, although we can still clearly recognise his style.
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POL MARA (1920 – 1998)
Pol Mara followed evening classes at the Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp and was a part-time student at the Nationaal Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp from 1941 to 1948. By clearly emphasising representation in his works, he brought a personal vision of American pop art (Andy Warhol) to Belgium. His preferred themes are: advertising, film, sports, newspapers, illustrated magazines, photography, horses, speed, sex-appeal, pin-ups and cover girls. Although he draws inspiration from pop art, he also distances himself from this movement through a very personal presentation, atmosphere and climate. He has a different approach, using an attractive, charming and particularly refined rendering of lines and colours with photographic precision. Thanks to a study grant and to his own savings he travelled round the world and took part in the main international exhibitions.