Happy Birthday Gil Elvgreen

 

 

 

Today marks the birthday of an important vintage pin up artist, the Norman Rockwell of cheese AKA, Gil Elvgren.  If you have ever admired a picture of curvaceous 40s, 50s, or 60s pin up, usually with her skirt askew from some improbable mishap, then you have seen Elvgren's work.

Elvgren was born on March 15, 1914 in St.  Paul Minnesota.  He studied art at the Minneapolis Institute and the Chicago Academy of American Art.  Elvgren was heavily influenced by classic American Illustrators like Charles Gibson and like Norman Rockwell he favored a realistic, pretty approach to art. Like Rockwell, he worked with live models



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for all of his pictures.  From the 1930s through the 70s Elvgren illustrated for Coca-Cola, General Electric and made calendars for Brown and Bigelow.
Elvgren didn't just paint beautiful women though, dogs were a frequent feature in his art.  Often the cause of a beautiful women's clothing coming to disarray.  Below are some of Elvgren's illustrations featuring dogs.

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