High and Shy 1950

Gil Elvgren made this pin-up painting, “High and Shy,” with oil. The way he applies paint is so smooth and deliberate, it’s almost invisible. The colours are built up in layers, like a glaze, to create this impossible, glowing skin tone. Looking closely, notice the cloud-like brushstrokes around the diving board. It's really cool how he uses similar marks for the clouds and the highlights on her body. It’s like she's part of the sky, or maybe the sky is reflecting in her skin. Elvgren was a master of this kind of idealized, airbrushed look. It reminds me a bit of some photorealist painters, but with a touch of old-school glamour. Art is always a conversation, and here Elvgren seems to be talking to both commercial illustration and something more timeless. It’s a seductive painting but also kind of funny - there’s a lot of ambiguity to enjoy in it.