Since the 1960s, Mel Ramos has dedicated his career to painting the female nude. Ramos builds on a tradition of depicting the idealized female nude that dates back to 19th century French salon painting and its predecessors. Intentionally humorous, his works draw on depictions of women from popular culture, such as pin-up calendars, centerfolds and advertisements. He emphasizes these sources by endowing his painted figures with the characteristic sheen of commercial photography, and emphasizing their self-consciously come-hither glances to the viewer. Because of his references to popular culture, his work has been associated with the Pop Art movement that dominated much of the art world in the mid-1960s.