Voting Station

Gil Elvgren

Please vote to return to collections.

Artist

The Resume

    (March 15, 1914-February 29, 1980)
    Born in St. Paul, Minnesota
    Real first name: Gillette
    Professional artist best known for his 'pin-up' posters of scantily clad women
    Featured in the books 'The Great American Pin-up' and 'Gil Elvgren'
    Produced over five hundred paintings of women which were used in calendars, advertisements, matchbook covers, playing cards, etc
    Did ads for Coke, GE, Orange Crush and Napa

Why he might be annoying:

    Although he was very technically proficient, his style was indistinguishable from many other of his contemporaries, including his close friend Norman Rockwell; indeed, he was known as 'The Norman Rockwell of Cheesecake.'
    Virtually all of his work was performed on demand for commercial purposes as opposed to creating art for its own sake.
    He is not believed to have ever done a portrait of a black or latina, and did only one of an Asian.
    He rarely named his paintings.
    As most of his work was done on commission, he usually didn't own his own work.
    He and his wife eloped when they were nineteen and unemployed, and didn't tell their families for two months.
    He liked to use very young models, usually aged 15-20 years old.
    To put it mildly, women were not always shown at their most dignified in his paintings.
    What the hell kind of name is Gilette Elvgren?

Why he might not be annoying:

    He made a living (up to $60,000 a year by the late forties) painting half-naked women.
    He and his very understanding wife were married for 33 years until her tragic early death from cancer in 1966. He also died of cancer in 1980.
    At one point in his career, he was booked up for work a year in advance.
    One of his teachers in art school said he 'worked harder' than any student he had ever had, and by taking as many classes as he could (including night, weekend, and summer courses), he graduated in only two years instead of the usual four; he was also featured in the school's catalogs and brochures by the time he graduated.
    He signed two major contracts within a year of graduating art school.
    Some of his models were up and coming actresses, including Myrna Loy, Arlene Dahl, Donna Reed, Kim Novak and future Miss USA Myrna Hansen and he made his subjects look so good that some established actresses actually offered to pose for him for free.
    Despite using some of the same models over and over, every model in every painting appeared to be a distinct individual and he never repeated any of his painting's backgrounds, poses, attire, etc.
    He helped create those cute Coppertone ads.
    Although known as being friendly, he was shy and modest and disliked the limelight.
    Atypically for an artist, he was an avid outdoorsman and had a collection of over one hundred classic/antique firearms.
    Although pretty much awesomely talented from the beginning, he clearly improved dramatically during the latter part of his career.
    He worked a lot of humor into his paintings which took the edge off of their racy (for the time) content.
    He could complete an oil painting in as little as two hours.
    He looked a lot like Walt Disney.

Credit: tom_jeffords


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 27.27% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 28 Votes: 39.29% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 11 Votes: 36.36% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 10 Votes: 30.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 52 Votes: 59.62% Annoying