Perfection 1948

Gil Elvgren made this painting, "Perfection", with, presumably, oil paint and a clear purpose, which was to produce some dreamy, creamy fantasy of an image. Look at the way he softens the edges of everything, blurring the lines, as if to create a sense of depth and volume, all while still being so flat. The rendering is precise, but the image is a complete fabrication. All the shadows and highlights work together to define the planes and curves of the body, but not in a way that seems real or natural, it’s totally stylized. See how the rose petals echo the color of her lips, and her painted nails? It's a bit cloying, to be honest, but this tension is what makes it interesting for me. It reminds me of the paintings of John Currin, who takes on this kind of cheesecake imagery with a kind of comic unease and skepticism. Ultimately, Elvgren's paintings exist in a space of ambiguity between fantasy and reality, inviting us to question the nature of desire, beauty, and representation.