Elvgren: His Life & Art

Rating:
Summary: Elvgren is Great, This Book is Not
Review: As an artist and long-time admirer of Gillette Elvgren's illustrations and pinups, I was thrilled to discover this book because until recently, there has been so little published about him. It's interesting to see the photographs he worked from alongside the paintings. It's very annoying, however, that so many of the reference photos are "flopped" (turned in the opposite direction from the painting). Why they did this makes no sense, because you can't compare them. Also, the captions are centered rather than justified. The book gives the impression that amateurs put it together. It doesn't do justice to the great illustrations that Elvgren produced.

Rating:
Summary: Elvgren is Great, This Book is Not
Review: As an artist and long-time admirer of Gillette Elvgren's illustrations and pinups, I was thrilled to discover this book because until recently, there has been so little published about him. It's interesting to see the photographs he worked from alongside the paintings he executed from them. It's very annoying, however, that so many of the reference photos are "flopped" (turned in the opposite direction from the painting). Why they did this makes no sense, because you can't compare them. Also, the captions are centered rather than justified. The book gives the impression that amateurs put it together. It doesn't do justice to the great illustrations that Elvgren produced.

Rating:
Summary: Focuses more on models than paintings
Review: Excellent presentation of the greatest pinup artist of all time

Rating:
Summary: Elvgren Was Great, This Book Isn't
Review: Gillette Elvgren was the best pinup artist, so any opportunity to see his work is welcomed. However, this book is disappointing: it looks like it was designed by amateurs trying too hard to make an artsy coffee table book. From the cover to the flopped photographs to the inane captions, it is irritating to browse through. His work deserves better.

Rating:
Summary: Elvgren Was Great, This Book Isn't
Review: Gillette Elvgren was the best pinup artist, so any opportunity to see his work is welcomed. However, this book is disappointing: it looks like it was designed by amateurs trying too hard to make an artsy coffee table book. From the cover to the flopped photographs to the inane captions, it is irritating to browse through. His work deserves better.

Rating:
Summary: Needs Improvement
Review: I don't want to be too nasty about this book beacause it does have more information than the other Elvgren books. The book also provided some of the paintings Elvgren did for Coca Cola which I had not seen. However, I agree with the reviewer that stated the captions were inane. Every model was described as "beautiful" or "stunning" or some other compliment when they clearly weren't. Also, all the books say that Elvgren only used really young models and some of the pics clearly show older women with wrinkles! And most importantly, why wasn't the intriguing and disturbing Harem/Still Life/Bowl of Fruit discussed? This painting is clearly VERY different than the pin ups that he did. The main reason I bought this book was to see if there was an explication of this painting and it wasn't there. Was it a commissioned painting? Did he paint it for fun? Was it a reference to a book? It certainly looks like it could be an illustration from a novel. If anyone has any information about this painting please email me at [e-mail]
I hope someone writes a biography of Elvgren without his son involved. He made a point to say he was a born again Christian and attended an Assembly of God church, which is all very nice, but not very relevant to Elvgren's art.

Rating:
Summary: Most comprehensive collection of Elvgren'w work
Review: This fabulous volume is surely the most comprehensive collection of Gil Elvgren's work ever assembled in book form. It should go far to establish Elvgren, along with Petty and Vargas, as a master of the American pin-up.

The biographical information is complete and well written including Elvgren's personal, commercial and artistic endeavors. The information on his associations with other pin-up artists of the time is especially interesting.

The importance of Elvgren's models is emphasized, although he painted from photos rather than the live model. In many cases the model's photo and finished painting are side by side showing Elvgren's ability to capture form and expression.

The book includes about 200 of Elvgren's paintings in vibrant full color and covers his advertising work for Coca-Cola and others as well as his famous calendar pin-ups. It is a great source for the pin-up fan, or art historian.

Rating:
Summary: A great book for the Elvgren enthusiast
Review: This is a great book for the Elvgren enthusiast as well as a person discovering Elvgren's work for the first time. The only way I could see to make it better would be to include more of his work. I thought the use of overlays was particularly effective in illustrating how Mr. Elvgren used models for his work. If someone has even a casual interest in Pin-Up art check this book out.