Only by Paul Raynal

This bold work is in the direct tradition of great pop art collages celebrating American popular iconography. By harmoniously incorporating his composition entitled “Only”, the artist Raynal Paul reinvents the portrait of the icon Marilyn Monroe within an urban landscape saturated with signs. This artistic creation questions the place of advertising and stardom in our contemporary society. The painter delivers here an interpretation full of life and creative audacity.

The actress’s portrait, split in a two-tone style between a soft pink and a brilliant turquoise blue, occupies most of the composition. To the left of the face with the communicative smile, a stylized Coca-Cola bottle is accompanied by a polite exclamation on a black background. In the background, the word evoking the subway unfolds in large blue letters of industrial character. The Statue of Liberty appears at the bottom of the painting, proudly brandishing her torch in sunny hues. On the right, a series of red and navy blue stars vertically structures the work next to a vintage vehicle. Transparencies and paint splatters enhance the dynamics of the image.

The mastery of chromatic contrasts and bold framing testifies to the artist’s unique expertise. Raynal Paul uses flat areas of complementary colors with surgical precision to sculpt the volumes of the face. This rigorous technique allows for the ideal fusion of the portrait intime with the graphic effervescence of the city’s symbols.