Some Help! 1952

Gil Elvgren made this unnamed painting with a very specific, almost airbrushed technique. It's interesting how the smoothness of the rendering contrasts with the implied chaos of the scene. Looking closely, you can see the very fine gradations of tone that create the illusion of volume, especially in the figure’s skin. There is no visible brushwork, but I imagine the painting was done in layers, slowly building up the image through thin glazes of color. Note the cheeky little poodle standing on it's hind legs! It's a lot of fun, and the detail and texture really pop. The lack of visible brushstrokes is intriguing. Unlike some artists who want you to see the "hand" of the artist, Elvgren seems to disappear behind the image, and as a painter I can really appreciate that. It's like he wants you to see the fantasy without being distracted by the making of it. It reminds me a little of the slick surfaces of some contemporary photorealist painting, though of course, the aesthetic is totally different.