Eye Catcher by Gil Elvgren

This playful work captures the very essence of the cheesecake style that brought international fame to the Pin-up movement in the middle of the last century. By immortalizing this moment of domestic intimacy, the famous illustrator Gil Elvgren integrates “Eye Catcher” to depict a femininity that is active, joyful, and seductive all at once. This painting celebrates the daily life of American women from a humorous and glamorous angle, typical of calendar illustrations from this prosperous era.

A young brunette woman with golden skin is depicted leaning forward, about to dry her hair covered in thick white shampoo foam. She is dressed in fine lingerie including a white lace bra, a matching garter belt, and sheer black stockings that beautifully shape her legs. Her feet are clad in elegant red pumps adorned with yellow tassels. In front of a white dressing table topped with a white porcelain pitcher and basin, she stretches her arms toward a bright yellow towel with blue stripes hanging on the wall. The diffused lighting highlights her body’s dynamic curve and her hair’s foamy texture.

Through his exceptional mastery of oil painting, Gil Elvgren delivers an impressive demonstration of his talent as a colorist here. The rendering of the transparency of the nylon stockings and the soap foam testifies to an extraordinary technical meticulousness. The artist succeeds in creating an illusion of physical realism of unmatched sensuality.