Do men pinup artists draw differently than women pinup artists? It’s the battle of the sexes!

It had to be asked- you know it and I know it. It’s so basic to the art-form, it just couldn’t be ignored. Pinup art is about the way an artist perceives sex and women, so there are bound to be differences. Let’s observe, together, the differences and similarities between men and women pinup artists.

A Little History

Traditionally, not many women artists are historically documented. Women rights are such a new concept, that sometimes I wonder how we got so far, in such a short time span. Historically, it was World War II that launched women into the work-place, in America, and they had their hand in every field of expertise and occupation.

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Tags: tits&ass, Marcus Grey, Jessica Dougherty, Dean Yeagle, Sexy Bitches, Feminist views, post-modern, dumb-blond, cartoon pinup, Alayna Magnan, Women Pinup Artists, Pearl Frush, Gil Elvgren, battle of the sexes, fetish and fantasy, pinup painting, olivia de Berardinis, Hajime Sorayama, vintage pinup, attention to detail, photo-realistic, 1950's, 1970's, 1990's, Playboy magazine, parnographic images, female commercial artists, pinup art, World War II

Take a tour in the high end of pinup art.

It’s true that mostly, pinup girls are considered a low art, at times completely thought of as porn. Today we talk a little about pinups in Pop Art- a highly respected art movement.

Before we take a look at some Pop Art pinup girls, here’s a short explanation of the movement:

Pop art is a visual art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s... [it’s] one of the major art movements of the twentieth century. Characterized by themes and techniques drawn from popular mass culture, such as advertising and comic books, pop art is widely interpreted as either a reaction to the then-dominant ideas of abstract expressionism or an expansion upon them. Pop art, like pop music, aimed to employ images of popular as opposed to elitist culture in art, emphasizing the banal or kitschy elements of any given culture.

~ Wikipedia ~

In essence, anyone making ads or comic book art is creating popular culture. The difference is that Pop Artists are usually trying to react to pop-culture with their creations and not just be part of the creation mass. (Kind of like the difference between Britney Spears and Madonna)

Mel Ramos

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Tags: pop art, Pinup Girls, popular media, print, comic book, Mel Ramos, Andy Warhol, Pop Artist, painter in the age of mechanical reproduction, Roy Lichtenstein, Low art, Allen Jones, pop-culture, art movement, 1950's, Allan d'Arcangelo, Marilyn Monroe

How do I love pinups and let me count the ways...

Yes, I sat myself down and asked myself why it is I blog about pinups. It’s so trivial, it’s so silly and so horny! So why then? Here are 10 fine reasons!

#10 The Detail

I’m a sucker for good craftsmanship. Most people are. As an art student you learn to appreciate abstract art and god knows I love it, but there is always a special place in my heart for that artist that can really draw convincing fingernails and get deep into the garter-clasp details.


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Tags: pinup lovers, Nostalgia, garter-clasp details, king of pinups, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Page, straightforward sexuality, sexually explicit, pinup artists, Olivia De Bernardinis, retro style, Classic Sweetness, garter belts, Women, Voluptuous, Gil Elvgren, modern Venuses, Garters and Stockings, beauty and mystic, natural beauty, Low art, pornographic, Diversity, neo-pinups

Suicide Girls started out as a small, two-person, alternative photography project. With over a thousand barely-legal-looking, naturally beautiful, tattooed and pierced models, it became a small corporation.

The site is a tastefully executed soft-core-porn subscription magazine, with a section devoted to each girl, including images, videos and a personal blog. The idea behind Suicide Girls is that blond with fake tits and a Barbie doll smile is not for everyone, and it seems to cater to a different crowd than Playboy’s. I can see women loving this. After all, it’s made by women. And of course a rock’n’rolling Goth, Neo-Punk audience.






In the words of founder, Missy:

With a vibrant, sex positive community of women (and men), SuicideGirls was founded on the belief that creativity, personality and intelligence are not incompatible with sexy, compelling entertainment, and millions of people agree. The site mixes the smarts, enthusiasm and DIY attitude of the best music and alternative culture sites with an unapologetic, grassroots approach to sexuality.

Tags: suicide Girls, Goth, pierced models, Porn for Women, soft-core-porn, Neo-Punk, barely-legal, tattooed , naturally beautiful, alternative photography

Some pinup artists are skilled, sophisticated and patient enough to add a little technical challenge to their work - the mirror.

While looking for pinup twins a month ago, I found myself eyeing another pinup art practice - the mirrored pinup. I haven't managed to find an essay about the appearance of mirrors and reflections in a painting (let me know if you got the inside story via comment or email ), but I gather it’s an interesting research subject. In pinup art a lot of the profound meaning is shallowed out to eye-candy. I’m hoping to find some insight into the mirrored pinup.

Showing Off All Assets

As I said, in most pinup art, the profound possibilities of meaning are usually shallowed down to simple efficiency. In most cases, the pinup will be either facing the viewer, or with her back to the viewer and the mirror is there to show all the pinup’s assets - front to back.

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Tags: Through the Looking Glass, pinup artists, mirrors, mirrored pinup, WWII., Nazi propaganda, Enoch Bolles, Kevin Clark, being watched, self Portrait, glamor girls, Gil Elvgren, pinup assets

Is the contemporary pinup pornography?

Last week, I posted a whimsical little anthology about pinups in sports. I had a few interesting remarks, on and off-site, inquiring as to “Where are the real women?” I didn’t completely understand the nature of the question, but a thought came to my head: Unlike Playboy, some readers read this blog for the pictures. Am I a Porn Blog? Some, I suppose, think so.

All this train of thought brings us to today’s issue: Is the contemporary pinup pornography?
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Tags: Contemporary Pinup, classic pinups, Erotica, pornography, Shakira, sexuality, eroticism and fantasy, BDSM culture, misogynistic, Lorenzo Di Mauro, Hagime Soroyama, George Petty , olivia de Berardinis, Frank Frazzeta, Christina Aguilera, Billy De Vorss, Alberto Vargas, Enoch Bolles, Britney Spears

On Sunday, I told you about Char E’, the gorgeous African American Pinup. Of course, I got curious and just had to check out, who does those quality digital paintings. Meet Guy Powers and his dolls. He specializes in smooth air brushed digital neo pinups. They’re shiny and sexy, sometimes touch on the fetish but mostly on that retro humor. Usually themed, like the above cards, drinks, or state butterflies , Powers takes the pinup and makes her sexiness contemporary (including the ever-present diversity which I just love! ).

Tags: Guy Powers, Guy's Dolls

You’re not seeing double. This list compiles pinup twins from around the world and across history.

Like the bunny and the exotic dancer, the fantasy of twins has always been out there. Twins photograph incredibly, and automatically call to mind additional meaning to an image. Smart photographers and painters utilized their rarity in order to create a stunning image. I’m leaving the sexual stuff out of this list, as alluring as it may appear it’s incest and I’m just not that kind of blogger.

The Vintage Twins that Launched a Thousand Words

Not much is known about Edward D'Ancona, who very possibly had a severe book fetish. This pinup isn’t dated, and all we can assume is that it was painted between the mid 1930-1960, the years he was known to be an active calendar artist. That’s a big gap, and the painting doesn’t clue us in to much. Seeing as these glamor girls are naked, the only thing I could go by is the hair, which looks right about the right length and styling to be between the 1940-1950. But again, I don’t know for sure, so feel free to enlighten us with an email or comment, if you know better.

This is the pinup that inspired this article, because...
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Tags: Double Happiness, Retro Pinup Twins, Vintage twins, Greg Hildebrandt, Edward D'Ancona, Dahm Triplets, 1940, Allison Evans and Jessica Henry, Forniphilia, Playboy Twins, The Bentley sisters, Patrick Nagel, 1980's, 1950, objectification, 1960, Beauty Calender, Losing innocence, chinese pinup girls, 1970, Vespa Twins

Visual artists can’t hide behind their work, at some point, some one will notice, a fetish, a habit a quirk. Missing belly buttons, fake breasts, detached heads- This is a list of the 10 most fucked up pinups in classic cheesecake history.

No disrespect to these wonderful artists- as an artist myself- I know how much it sucks to be told “you missed a spot”. These details, however, are part of pinup history, and quite an idiosyncratic part, at that. I hope you enjoy this quirky look at fine pinup art.

#10 Alberto Vargas’ Pointed Nails

Alberto Vargas’ work is practically flawless. It’s skillfully executed and unfathomably beautiful. Vargas has many fetishes, but this tiny detail is so idiosyncratic and mysterious, and it repeats every single time! Pointed nails are in every Vargas image, without exception! What can this mean? Is it a catwoman thing? Is it an esthetic preference? Is Vargas flirting with danger? What do you think?


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Tags: Visual artists, pinup history, Carlos Diez, Damsels in Distress, Alberto Vargas, White Haired Goddesses, George Petty, Gravity Defying Breasts, Peter Driben, Big Breasts, Frank Frazetta, Nipples, Gil Elvgren, Big Butts, Hubert De Lartigue, Lorenzo Di Mauro, Puckered Lips, Greg Hildebrandt, Pointed Nails, Elizabeth Austin

Sexy astronauts, alluring aliens, and sassy space warriors are a mainstay in pinup culture. Taking erotic fantasy out of this world.

Jules Verne's 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon captured many people’s imagination, all around the world. But it wasn’t until a hundred years later, that the Apollo 11 would land on the moon and really fuel pop culture. It’s easy to find fantastic images of sexy aliens, today. TV and the cinema have made it popular with movies and shows such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Total Recall and many more.



I’d like to take a more chronological-as-possible look at the pinup space fantasy, because I think, all you pinup lovers will be pleasantly surprised.

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Tags: Erotic fantasy art, space pinups, Luis Royo, sexy aliens, High tech Fetish, Barbarella, Bill Randall, Andrew Bawidamann, cartoon cheesecake, Marcus Gray, Hubert De Lartigue, erotic sci/fi, Frank Frazetta, 1950's, Hajime Sorayama, 1980's, olivia de Berardinis