Smoke Screen 1958

Gil Elvgren made this painting, titled "Smoke Screen," with thin layers of oil paint, probably in the mid-20th century. The light green monochrome background sets off the main event, a perfect woman in a daisy dress trying to fan away smoke from a barbecue. Elvgren gives us a masterclass in how to create the illusion of form with paint, how to create an image that is both classical and modern. I can only imagine what Elvgren was thinking when he made this painting. He was thinking about all the other painters before him who had painted women, and how he could do it differently. The billowing dress makes me think of a sail on a ship. It’s almost sculptural in its dynamism. The paint is thin and precise, yet somehow also free and gestural. I love how the painting embraces ambiguity, like, is this woman struggling, or is she enjoying herself? The mystery invites our curiosity and imagination to wander.