Gil Elvgren: The Complete Pin-Ups

Gil Elvgren was the best of all the pin-up artists and also the most prolific and this book collects much of his work. The plates, nearly six hundred of them, are almost all in color and each one is of decent size. This book is the definitive volume on pin-up art to any collection, his art, a masterwork on the same level as any of the great painters. The fashions on his models may change throughout the forties, fifties and sixties, but their beauty (and cuteness) remain consistent. His fleshtones are truly amazing and the poses suggestive and fun. Elvgren's models weren't just gorgeous, they were friendly, inviting and playful. Just having this book lifts your mood, recalling an earlier time when life was a lot simpler.

If I was to choose a coffee table book of cheesecake and magically, could live on an island surrounded by the models in that book, I'd have to pass up Sorayama, Olivia, and Vargas, and go for Gil Elvgren, the collection being this 200+ page work that covers Elvgren's work from the 1930's to the 1970's.The girls in Elvgren's paintings not only come alive, but seem more warm and human, innocent with a twinge of spice. So this is what they meant by "sugar, spice, and everything nice." Maybe because most of them are smiling, with those pearly whites showing. I could spend hours looking through those pages, forming stories around the paintings.Many look like celebrities. In "Let's Go (1957)," the blonde getting out of a white car looks a lot like Marilyn Monroe. The girl in "True To You (Sitting Pretty) (1950)" also resembles Marilyn but with brown hair. And the honey in "Evening Out (1969)" reminds me of Geri Halliwell.Okay, so many of the drawings can be construed as sexist. The particular theme on that being girls who get their skirt lifted up by well handles, pipes, fence rails, ladders, and elevator doors, revealing two very shapely legs.Equally interesting are paintings that were repaints of earlier work. "In For A Tanning" featured a sitting nude girl holding her bikini with a black dog to her side. "Dumb Pluck" featured the girl in the same pose, except she was wearing a candy-cane striped bathing suit and holding a shovel, the dog still on her left.Some were risque even for their time and the more amusing ones are beach shots where the girls get into distress, such as having their beachware stolen by a dachsund (Taking Ways, 1950) And his nudes were never full frontal, only seen from the rear or side, the sole exception being "Harem," an undated painting of an innocent maiden captured by Arabs.It's when looking at his work during the 1960's and 1970's, that yes, the models have changed with the times and despite having Elvgren's signature style, their hairstyle are with their times.Other notes: the paintings are clearly better than the real-live model replications hands and legs down.So, my favorites? That's a difficult one, as the models are oh so cute, but I'd have to settle for "Well Picked," of a girl in yellow dress wading in a pool and picking up a lily flower, "Golden Beauty," of a Diana Dors-lookalike, "Surprise Package," where the girl wrapping the X-mas present is clearly the title object, and "Lazy Days," of the girl lying leisurely on the summer grass.Proof that too much of a good thing is better, and that too much cheesecake can be good for one and not be fattening. And with all apologies to the Beach Boys, "I wish they all could be Gil Elvgren girls!"

This book is a good 300-400 pages thick, all in colorful high quality papers! It pretty much contains all(about 99%) of Gil Elvgren's works ever painted. It's even got some exceptional nude pictures that Gil had presented to his close friends as gifts. Buy this book for its beautiful American sweet hearts! Buy this book for its vivid brush works. Buy this book for its historical value as an momento of America! :)

This is a great collection of his work. There are few artists to rival his ability, not only in drawing the female form, but in capturing innocence, playfulness, and seduction all at the same time. He's been called the "Norman Rockwell of pin-up art" and in a way, it's a shame that he is limited to that category of art, but the comparison to Rockwell's ability is warranted. Some of Elvgren's advertising art is in this book too, and it is all well worth having.

Gil Elvgren was one of the masters of the art of the Pin-up back when Pin-ups were sweet and sexy without being lewd. This terrific book is a virtual catalog of his work. After a brief introduction to the history of Pin-up art and the life of Gil Elvgren, it displays more than 550 plates of his creations including a great many images of his advertising related works for such companies as NAPA and Sylvania. Only his work on behalf of Coca Cola is missing from the book. It has a full index to the image titles. This is a must for any Elvgren aficionado or Pin-up enthusiast.