Chanel No. 5 (Rose)

Burton Morris

16″ × 12″ × 3″ (each)

Silkscreen and Spray Paint on Canvas

Chanel No. 5 (Rose) is presented as part of Burton Morris’ solo exhibition Icons in Bloom at MASH Gallery. The work reflects the artist’s continued exploration of luxury symbolism through the geometry and cultural permanence of the iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle. Influenced by Coco Chanel’s camellia flower motif and Morris’ long-standing engagement with contemporary pop imagery, the composition transforms a universally recognized fashion object into a visual statement that bridges consumer culture and fine art.

While Morris’ earlier works were defined by tightly rendered outlines and flat graphic immediacy aligned with the traditions of mid-century Pop Art, this new body of work introduces a more process-driven approach through layered silkscreen, spray paint, and hand-painted acrylic. Artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein translated commercial imagery into mechanically precise reproductions that reflected postwar consumerism. In contrast, Morris advances the language of contemporary pop art by allowing surface variation and tonal shifts to destabilize the static nature of the reproduced icon.

Within his new body of work, the Chanel No. 5 bottle is no longer treated solely as a commercial emblem but becomes a compositional framework through which gesture and accumulation introduce movement and depth. This evolution from graphic reproduction toward materially expressive surface expands Morris’ work within the broader historical discourse of Pop Art into a more dynamic, contemporary visual experience.