Fritz Willis: a pin-up with character, grace and a dash of sass

Fritz Willis: pin-up with character, grace and a drop of daringFritz Willis is a name familiar to all connoisseurs of classic American pin-up. His “Willis girls” became a symbol of an entire era. He drew for Esquire, collaborated with Warner Brothers and created images that are still considered the standard of female attractiveness. How did the artist turn his wife into a muse and pin-up into art? You will find out in this article

Fritz Willis, born December 30, 1907 in Oklahoma City (Oklahoma), went down in history as one of the most recognizable American artists, famous for his illustrations in the genre of pin-up - a pictorial and glamorous trend that celebrates female beauty and grace. He put his soul into his work. His images of girls did not look like soulless beautiful dolls, on their faces you can read real human emotions.

The term pin-up itself (from the English to pin up - to pin up, a poster on the wall) denotes images of attractive girls, most often in playful, frivolous, flirtatious or frank images. In Russian, this concept is associated with a certain style of graphics, characteristic of the United States in the middle of the XX century. Although officially the word “pin-up” appeared in 1941, such pictures were found in the late XIX century - they were printed on postcards, calendars, chromolithographs, cut from magazines and newspapers. Later, such images began to be produced specially, and the models were actresses, photomodels and famous women, perceived as symbols, standards of attractiveness and style.

Pin-ups were considered not only an element of pop culture, but also a kind of art, reflecting an idealized idea of female beauty. And it was Fritz Willis who became one of those who set his own tone for this trend.

Willis received his art education at the Vesper George School of Art in Boston. After his studies, he moved to Hollywood where he began working on design projects for Warner Brothers Studios. It was during this period, in the late 1930s and early 1940s, that he began designing movie posters and also met Joe de Merse, another future pin-up artist whom Willis helped to get a future job on the staff of Esquire magazine.

In 1947, Fritz Willis' career took off and he became a staff illustrator for Esquire magazine, where he created iconic pin-up artwork. His heroines - the so-called Willis Girls - were particularly expressive and recognizable, with lively emotions on their faces, which made the artist stand out among his colleagues.

In addition to pin-ups, Willis successfully worked in other directions. He created advertising illustrations for such major brands as Max Factor, Sunkist and Pepsi Cola, drew portraits of celebrities - among them, for example, Katharine Hepburn and Alice Adams. In 1950, he actively collaborated with various publications and companies, and from 1952 to 1969 he created artwork for the Stardust Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

He also designed four books on classical painting, which were published by the Wither Foster Company and remained in print for some forty years.

The peak of his career was an offer from Brown & Bigelow in 1961 to design a series of works for a calendar. Willis brought a breath of fresh air to the company's format and revolutionized the company, and his work from that period is considered one of the best in the pin-up genre.

Interesting fact: as a model for many of his heroines, the artist used his own wife named Pat. This was not only a creative union, but also a practical step - so the family saved on the cost of professional models. He painted mostly in oil on canvas, but in the late 1940s he used gouache in some of his works.

In retirement, Fritz and Pat moved to San Clemente, California, where the artist lived until the end of his days. In the last years of his life he struggled with Parkinson's disease, from which he died on January 13, 1979.

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