What does Elvgren’s girl next door have
to do with Masuimi Max’s tattoos? It’s all a
web of pinupology. Watch the evolution as it
happens!
The pinup girl
evolution isn't, a linear one. Like most
genres of art, each school would
interpret it differently, geography
would change the aesthetics, and post
modernism- and much more recently- the
pluralism of the internet would implode
any possibility of linearism. My goal
then, in this article, is not to create
a time line, but to follow the
evolutionary branching out of the rare
and beautiful species-The pinup.
Before the Calender Girl
Erotic art
has been in documented existence
since
Paleolithic times. Nude and
semi-nude women- that aren’t goddesses
of fertility- have always been depicted
in sculpture and paintings.
Gustave
Courbet - The Hammock - 1844
Jean-Francois
Millet - The Bather - 1863
Marcantonio Raimondi - Lucretia - c.
1510
With the invention
of photography, the genre of pinups was
inevitable. Although it would need
technical improvements and the right
social climate:
Nude pictures before 1835 generally consisted
of paintings and drawings. That year,
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre invented the
first practical process of photography[1].
Unlike earlier photographs, his
daguerreotypes had stunning quality and did
not fade with time. The new technology did
not go unnoticed by artists eager for new
ways to depict the undraped feminine form. In
Nude photography, 1840–1920, Peter Marshall
notes: "In the prevailing moral climate at
the time of the invention of photography, the
only officially sanctioned photography of the
body was for the production of artist's
studies. Many of the surviving examples of
daguerreotypes are clearly not in this genre
but have a sensuality that clearly implies
they were designed as erotic or pornographic
images". ~
Wikipedia
The modern 20
th century woman
started appearing in magazine depictions and
a more up-to-date fantasy would emerge. From
here to the evolution of the classic pinup,
is only a short leap.
Calender Girls and Pulp Cover
Pinups
The 1940’s would be the golden age
of pinup paintings. Enoch Bolles would set
the style:
… And the rest is practically history:
Hollywood Golden Girls
The Golden Era of Hollywood brought with it
it’s own brand of pinup- the glamor girl.
Betty Grable, Rita Heyworth and Marilyn
Monroe would become military barrack
favorites and photography would rule the
genre.
The End of the Age of Innocence
Until
the mid 1960’s the wholesome style of Elvgren
and glitzy glamor girls would still be in
demand, but become outdated, as social change
was taking place in the USA.
Gil Elvgren would still be working through
the 70’s and it’s interesting to see the
changes in his work:
The 1980’s and the Rise of the Super
Model
While the 1970’s still had that
stereotypical theming and a general air of
innocence (unlike special agent Foxy Brown,
special agent
Jill Munroe was much more mainstream),
the 1980’s would be a tough woman’s decade.
The make up was harsh, the clothing- edgy,
and pose- powerful.
In the 1990’s a more natural look would come
back and a softening of the photo’s styling,
but the general atmosphere would be a
continuation of the 1980’s sharpness.
Neo Pinups of the 21th Century
As if
as a backlash to the 1980’s-1990’s phenomena,
the 21
st
century would see a return to all things
retro. Through fashion and design, to the
models themselves. Gisele Bündchen would
bring back the curves and the internet
plurality would bring mass popularity to
sub-genres, such as Rockabilly and Neo Goth.
Celebrity models would emerge, like Bernie
Dexter and Masuimi Max, lead by
beyond-genre-success Dita Von Teese. Neo
pinups are racier than classic pinup- less
clothes, more tattoos, and a shiny, crisp,
new aesthetic, all the while keeping true to
their ancestry.
Resurrecting the Pinup Painting
With
the renaissance of pinup photography, pinup
paintings have made a major comeback. From
the traditional, realistic painting, to
scantily clad super heroines, to sassy
cartoons. Pinup is back and it’s got a life
of its own!
Following the evolution,
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Tags: Pinup Evolution, 1940’s, Pulp Cover Pinups, Bernie Dexter, sassy cartoons, scantily clad super
heroines, traditional, realistic
painting, pinup photography, Dita Von Teese, Masuimi Max, 21th Century, 1980’s, Gil Elvgren, 1970’s, Super Model, glitzy glamor girls, 1960’s, Enoch Bolles, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Heyworth, Betty Grable, Golden Era of Hollywood,
Hollywood Golden Girls,
pinup paintings, golden age, modern 20th century woman,
pinup girl evolution,
nude women, pinupology, Erotic art , pluralism of the internet,
Masuimi Max, tattoos, girl next door, Calender Girl, Neo Pinup
