Smoke Screen 1958

Gil Elvgren’s ‘Smoke Screen,’ captures a slice of mid-century Americana, likely painted with oils using a commercial illustration process. The whole scene is rendered in these super-smooth gradations, all creamy and soft, like a yummy dessert. Check out the smoke, rising off the grill; it’s like Elvgren is painting pure atmosphere. It's kind of funny how a delicate gesture can speak volumes. It gives a sense of lightness that balances the almost aggressively idealised pin-up aesthetic. Elvgren’s got this way of capturing a certain kind of playful femininity that you also see in the work of Alberto Vargas. Although maybe Elvgren’s work has an additional layer of everyday relatability, it’s a conversation about beauty, humour and the process of image-making. It’s about how we see and what we see.