Charlie Masson

If you reflect upon the art produced by pop-artists of the 1960's, a common ingredient in their works is that of wit and irony. My paintings are a reincarnation of pop art, recreated on familiar packaging material, bringing a new meaning to the word "pop". The subjects of my paintings are reminiscent of comic books from the 1960's that use Benday dots for shade and coloring, yet the figures remain timeless and contemporary through their familiar expressions and emotions. Through my work I seek to playfully intertwine today's world using a nostalgic comic book aesthetic.

The packaging materials I have incorporated in my work, such as bubble wrap, are often used to protect fragile items, in order to keep them from breaking. The expressions of the characters represented in my work are reflections of a world on the edge of becoming broken. The current state of the economy, natural disasters, rising temperatures, and war bring a variety of emotions to our society. It is my aim to depict such feelings in my work: Anger, fear, indifference, bewilderment, and longing.

Education
2005 to Present: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Expected Graduation – May 2009. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Chicago, IL – Emphasis of study in Painting and Drawing
2007: Summer Study Trip, Prague: Painting and Drawing Studio Program, studied art and art history at Academy of Fine Arts

Selected Exhibitions
April, 2007: Arte Povera Now and Then: Perspectives For A New Guerilla Art, group exhibition, Esso Gallery, New York
April, 2006: SAIC First Year Program Show, Gallery 2, Chicago, IL
April, 2003: Independent Visions, annual student photography show, PaulRodgers/ 9W Gallery, New York, NY

Publications
May 2007: Ink Painting in FNews Magazine's annual "Ink", SAIC, Chicago, IL
May 2005: Ink Paintings on front cover of Muse, the Dwight School's annual art and literary magazine, New York, NY