Curving Around 1960

Gil Elvgren made this painting, Curving Around, and just look at how the brushstrokes render the scene. He's really going for it here. I imagine him in his studio, perhaps in the 1950s, working on this piece. He's thinking about the way the light hits her skin, the folds of her dress, and the gleam of that little red car. The paint is applied with such care, such precision. The texture is smooth, almost like porcelain. It is as though each detail has been considered and lovingly rendered. There's this one stroke of yellow paint that traces the curve of her 'journey', and it's so simple, yet it speaks volumes. It tells us she’s going somewhere, maybe nowhere, but she’s moving, and that’s what matters. You can see the influence of other figurative painters of his time, but Elvgren's voice is distinctly his own. Artists are always learning from each other, building on what came before. It's a beautiful thing, this conversation across time. He's not just showing us a pin-up girl; he's inviting us to join in the fun.