The work of American artist Gil Elvgren (1914-1980) is familiar to all fans of pin-up and just beautiful quality illustration "for men". He was one of the best in his genre, and he brought the seemingly frivolous pictures that soldiers used to decorate their barracks to the level of real works of art.
Down the railing
Now Elvgren's work is of interest not only to truckers and bachelors, but also to serious collectors who hunt even for his sketches, and even for a finished original can pay very decent money. And this despite the fact that Elvgren's creative legacy is huge - he has been drawing pin-up pictures of varying degrees of frankness for over 40 years, including nudity, which looked more than appropriate on the pages of any men's magazine like Playboy.
Beauty with beads
Elvgren was born in the American city of St. Paul and since childhood he loved to draw and collect illustrations from various magazines, which he cut out and kept with him. Sometimes he got for it from angry parents - not very pleasant to see instead of a whole and quite expensive magazine a set of some scraps, but he did not give up his hobby. However, this collection contributed to the formation of Elvgren as an artist - just instead of paintings of classics in museums, he studied magazine illustrations. After school Elvgren entered the University of Minnesota, where he began to study architecture - at the time it was considered more far more serious and promising than painting. But at the same time he attended painting courses at the Art Institute, because he liked drawing more than drawing boring drawings.
Barbecue
During his studies he got married, and when he received a degree in architecture, he moved to Chicago with his wife, hoping to succeed in life there. However, his education was not enough for professional practice of his favorite painting, and Elvgren began to study at the American Academy of Art. Soon he became one of the best in the course, and after two years he could take the first orders.
On the beach
He was approached by representatives of the Coca-Cola Company to have Elvgren write some advertising posters. They succeeded and Elvgren's collaboration with the makers of the iconic American soda lasted 25 years. These images were extremely optimistic and showed idealized soda consumers who embodied the notion of the American way of life and the American dream.
Coca-Cola commercials
During World War II, Elvgren's work featured many brave military men who knew exactly what they were fighting for and did their best to do so. Elvgren became a famous artist, and the most lucrative commissions he had were numerous, he drew advertisements for large companies and collaborated with magazines.
Waiting for you
But it was pin-up pictures that he became most famous for. He had his own creative method, which allowed him to draw quickly and efficiently. Elvgren knew how to take good photos, chose a suitable model - usually an aspiring actress or model, made her take the right pose and took a series of photos.
Elvgren's photos and pin-ups
And then he used them to draw pin-ups, often embellishing the girls thoroughly, bringing their appearance to the ideal. Elvgren voiced this ideal in an interview: "the face of a 15-year-old, the body of a 20-year-old and a minimum of clothes".
Am I the sweetest person in the world?
The combination of a young innocent face and quite rounded ripe charms drove many men crazy. But even in the naked nature of vulgarity and outright vulgarity was a minimum, rather admiration for beauty, but not lifeless-academic, and close to real life - the girls Elvgren, quite possible to see on the street or in public places, albeit not in such a frivolous form.
Naked Beauty
Unfortunately, Elvgren died of cancer at the age of 65, but even before his death he continued to draw his favorite pin-ups secretly from doctors and family, probably remembering those times when he was young, healthy and just beginning his life's journey as an artist.
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