Jane Russell 1943

Zoe Mozert made this promotional image of the actor, Jane Russell, in oil paint, but the exact date is unknown. The color palette is all about drama – that deep blue background offset by the stark reds and yellows of Jane’s dress and top. You can see how Mozert has played with the textures, creating a tension between the smoothness of Jane’s skin and the rough strokes behind her. The way she handles the edges is what gives this piece its real energy. Those blurred lines around the figure make it feel like she’s about to move, to jump right out of the canvas. Look at the shadow beneath Jane’s legs, it’s a soft, hazy blur of dark brown, almost like a cloud. It gives the whole composition a slightly surreal feeling, as if she’s floating in this imagined space. Mozert was working around the same time as pin-up artists like Gil Elvgren, but she brings a certain sensitivity to the genre. She invites us to ponder the interplay of light and shadow, and the emotional impact of color, rather than just presenting us with a fixed image.