I’m Not Shy, I’m Just Retiring 1947

Gil Elvgren made "I'm Not Shy, I'm Just Retiring," using oil paint on canvas, a traditional fine art medium and process. But the effect is anything but traditional, because Elvgren embraced popular appeal in his pin-up paintings for calendars and advertisements. He uses the oil paint to create a hyper-realistic, smooth surface. This slick quality perfectly suits the subject: a woman removing her stocking. The implied subject is male, the viewer of the artwork, suggesting a private moment of intimacy. Elvgren was masterful at implying a narrative within his compositions, which were designed to titillate. The result is that the painting performs a kind of labor, in the service of consumer capitalism. And in the context of mid-century America, it would have been perfectly at home in a commercial setting. So, remember that materials, making, and context are essential to fully understanding an artwork. These "lowbrow" works can be just as impactful as those we consider "high art."