Christmas pinups

Gil Elvgren was probably the most important pin-up artist of the twentieth century and his ability to capture the playful spirit and sensuality of feminine beauty was unsurpassed.  All too often his pin-up girls were involved in unfortunate accidents which resulted in the loss of clothing and red faces. Enormously popular, most of his work was for was Brown & Bigelow.

When asked about his techniques, he explained the distinctive "touches" he added to every painting how he built up the bust, lengthened the legs, pinched in the waist, gave the body warmer and more attractive curves, worked over the facial features and expression, added just a little more of a tip and tilt to the nose, made the mouth fuller and more sensuous and the eyes a bit larger. He ended by saying that he liked to create the feeling that, underneath all the surface charms, there was a delicious warmth of mischief behind the model's eyes.

Want to know more? Go to the the Gil Elvgren galleries at The Pin-up Files.

ARTIST :: Gil Elvgren
TITLE :: A Christmas Eve (Waiting for Santa)
DATE :: 1954
Copyright © Brown & Bigelow