Anyone looking at Gil Elvgren’s body of
work could assume it was all inspired by the
same girl. And that this girl is not much
like the original, she’s been molded into the
image of the perfect girl. Well I got
evidence to the contrary.
I’d like to
start off, this week, by giving props to
Elvgren
Pinup, which I stumbled upon while
researching this article. It has the
most incredible collection of the
original snapshots of Elvgren’s models,
taken by Elvgren himself, as painting
references.
Who were the real Elvgren Girls?
Not
only did Gil Elvgren know how to paint them,
he knew how to pick them, as well.
Of corse you can immediately see the
embellishments- the “old-school photoshop”.
Short legs? No Problem! Tummy not flat
enough? A few strokes will take care of that!
The neck isn’t so poise in that angle? Just a
brush-stroke here and we’re all done! And
even though these embellishments were made,
it’s easy to see the classic Elvgren girl in
these models.
Elvgren’s models
look so much like their portraits that I’m
not sure which of Elvgren’s paintings are
based on who’s image, so please let me know
and I’ll update the article.
Myrna Hansen
The most popular of
Elvgren’s models was 1954 beauty queen
Myrna Hansen. Possibly the originator of
the classic Elvgren face, Hansen had the
exact features that Elvgren had
described as ideal:
...high forehead, long neck, eyes that were
set wide apart, small ears, pert nose, great
hair, full but not overblown breasts, nice
legs and hands, a pinched-in waist and
natural grace and poise.
Myrna Hansen was a beauty pageant contestant
and an actress for MGM studios.
Myrna Loy
The other Myrna in
Elvgren’s life was impressively
accomplished. Not only was she a
respected and diverse actress, appearing
in musicals, Dramas and Comedies. In the
Outbreak of World War II, Loy proved
she’s capable of even more. She worked
closely with the Red Cross, and was so
outspoken against Hitler, that her name,
apparently, was added to his blacklist.
Donna Reed
Best known as
wholesome housewife in The Donna Reed
Show and Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful
Life. However Reed Won her Oscar fame
with the role of a prostitute in From
Here to Eternity. Reed was also an
advocate of gender equality and in her
list of achievements is the founding of
Another Mother for Peace.
Arlene Dahl
Mainly a drama
actress, Dahl had her respectable
career, with the staring role of films
such as Reign of Terror (1949), Three
Little Words (1950) and Woman's World
(1954). After the birth of her son, she
stopped perusing her acting career and
moved on to become a writer and
columnist. Dahl Also founded her own
lingerie and cosmetics business.
Barbara Hale
Barbara hale had a
small but noticeable career.
Doubly-nominated and finally a winner of
an Emmy for her role as Perry Mason’s
secretary. She also appeared in The
Window and Airport, alongside Dean
Martin.
Kim Novak
Best known for her
role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo,
Novak appeared in over 30 films. She’s
not only an established star of the
50’s, she’s an accomplished artist, who
expresses herself in watercolor and oil
paintings, sculpture, stained glass
design and photography and also writes
poetry.
To the talented women behind the pretty face,
Additional
Resources:
http://www.gilelvgren.com/GE/elvgrenBio.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrna_Hansen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrna_Loy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Reed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlene_Dahl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Novak
Tags: Gil Elvgren, Myrna Loy, Perfect girl, Actress, Donna Reed, Beauty Queen, Elvgren's girls, Arlene Dahl, Barbara Hale, pinup achievements, Kim Novak, Elvgren Pinup, Myrna Hansen, Elvgren's Models
