Burton Morris
48″ × 60″
Acrylic, Spray Paint, and Layered Silkscreen on Canvas
Nocturne en Roses is presented as part of Burton Morris’ solo exhibition Icons in Bloom at MASH Gallery. The work belongs to the artist’s Sea of Roses series, where the single rose, historically a symbol of beauty and love, is transformed into an immersive abstract environment. Here, the rose is no longer a singular, isolated emblem. Through repetition, silkscreen layering, and painterly interruption, individual blossoms dissolve into a dense atmospheric field, becoming both image and architecture.
In contrast to Morris’ earlier works, which were defined by sharply rendered outlines and graphic clarity rooted in the visual language of classic Pop Art, this new body of work demonstrates a significant evolution. Where artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein emphasized mechanical repetition and the flatness of commercial imagery, Morris reopens the icon through surface variation and tonal depth. The once crisp and contained symbol expands into a layered, almost cinematic expanse of shadow and luminosity. The darkened palette in Nocturne en Roses introduces a moody dimensionality rarely associated with traditional contemporary pop art, pushing the genre toward abstraction.
This work marks a shift in Morris’ practice from the reproduction of cultural symbols toward their dissolution and reconstruction. The rose becomes both unit and environment, suggesting movement and pulse across the canvas. =Morris contributes to the ongoing evolution of Pop Art in the 21st century, expanding it beyond the aesthetic of consumer immediacy into a materially expressive and immersive experience. The result is a contemporary pop art painting that bridges luxury symbolism, abstract painting, and the historical lineage of Pop Art while redefining its conceptual boundaries.