Gil Elvgren

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gil Elvgren (March 15, 1914-February 29, 1980), born Gilette Elvgren, was an American painter of pin-up girls, advertising and illustration. Elvgren lived in various locations, and was active from the 1930s to 1970s. Today he is best known for his pin-up paintings for Brown & Bigelow. Elvgren studied at the American Academy of Art.

Elvgren was one of the most important pin-up and glamour artists of the twentieth century. In addition, he was a classical American illustrator. He was a master of portraying the feminine, but he wasn't limited to the calendar pin-up industry. He was strongly influenced by the early "pretty girl" illustrators, such as Charles Dana Gibson, Andrew Loomis, and Howard Chandler Christy. Other influences included the Brandywine School founded by Howard Pyle.

Elvgren was a commercial success. His clients ranged from Brown and Bigelow and Coca-Cola to General Electric and Sealy Mattress Company. In addition, during the 1940s and 1950s he illustrated stories for a host of magazines, such as The Saturday Evening Post and Good Housekeeping.

Although best known for his pin-ups, his work for Coca-Cola and others depicted typical Americans — ordinary people doing everyday things.

[edit] See also

• Pin-up girl
• List of pin-up artists

[edit] References

• The Great American Pin-Up, by Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel, ISBN 3-8228-1701-5
• Gil Elvgren, by Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel, ISBN 978-3-8228-2930-1

[edit] External links

• Biography of Elvgren, with lists of paintings and sample images
• Elvgren on "The Pin-Up Files"
• The Happy Jolly Elvgren Concordance, an extensive gallery of most of Elvgren's pinups
• A Tribute to Gil Elvgren - Pinup Girl Cheesecake - a fun index and gallery of nearly all of Elvgren's pinup girlies