A Couple 

Edwin Georgi painted "A Couple" with oils, probably sometime in the mid-20th century. Georgi was celebrated for his commercial illustrations, and this canvas has all the hallmarks of that genre. The very visible brushwork gives the image an appealing, immediate quality. Yet everything in the painting is also carefully calculated, from the gleam of the woman's teeth to the casually askew tie. The labor involved in the production process has been artfully hidden. In fact, the main subject here might be the very concept of leisure itself. The couple is shown at play, enjoying the fruits of prosperity. Even the flowers feel like accessories, mass-produced commodities made accessible through post-war consumerism. The artist used his skill to depict the fantasy of an easy life, yet the careful, almost frenetic application of paint reveals the effort needed to produce such an alluring image. Ultimately, a painting like this prompts us to look beyond the surface, and to consider the social and economic forces that shape our desires.