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Actual Size, by Ed Ruscha (1962), on view at the Museum of Modern Art, NYC

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One of the best-known examples of Edward Rusha’s early works is the painting Actual Size (1962). Like his contemporaries in New York, Pop ArtistsAndy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, Ruscha focused on subjects that relate to mass production and consumer culture. Actual Size focuses on a can of Spam, a staple in American society during the Cold War era. The top half of the painting depicts the giant brand name from the can of Spam, while the lower half shows the actual can of spam in its true size. The can of Spam seems to be shooting into space like a comet or a cannonball. In small print behind the can, Ruscha wrote ‘Actual Size’. The written text and the title refer to a phrase borrowed from the world of advertising, used to refer to the accuracy of the depiction.

https://www.wikiart.org/en/edward-ruscha/actual-size-1962

Actual Size, by Ed Ruscha )1962), on view at the Museum of Modern Art, NYC

Quote

One of the best-known examples of Edward Rusha’s early works is the painting Actual Size (1962). Like his contemporaries in New York, Pop ArtistsAndy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, Ruscha focused on subjects that relate to mass production and consumer culture. Actual Size focuses on a can of Spam, a staple in American society during the Cold War era. The top half of the painting depicts the giant brand name from the can of Spam, while the lower half shows the actual can of spam in its true size. The can of Spam seems to be shooting into space like a comet or a cannonball. In small print behind the can, Ruscha wrote ‘Actual Size’. The written text and the title refer to a phrase borrowed from the world of advertising, used to refer to the accuracy of the depiction.

https://www.wikiart.org/en/edward-ruscha/actual-size-1962