[Marilyn Monroe Going Camping] is a piece of Tan’s Monroe Series.

[Marilyn Monroe Going Camping] depicts Monroe in a place far from the city. The car is a dead ringer for the cabs in London. Black car is one of Tan’s favorite creative elements. The background is based on the scenic spot Ronda (known for its sheer cliffs and precipitous rock faces) near Sevilla, the Spanish city in which the artist stayed when he studied abroad.

There seems to be a campfire, empty beer cans, and scattered rubbish on the clearing in the bottom right-hand corner of the canvas. It appears that some mysterious documents are burned. The boots are neatly laid near the cliff edge, suggesting that Monroe took off the boots before sitting naked in the black car, a car with its front wheels hanging over the cliff.

The car’s glossy stoving varnish serves as the visual focus of the composition. Monroe is puffing on a cigarette at the time, looking into the distance as if she is expecting someone. The scene contains subtle clues about a puzzle waiting for someone to crack it.