Out of this World by Gil Elvgren

The sweet dream of escape and the strong desire for distant travels constituted an extraordinarily popular theme in the radiant advertising and glamour imagery of past decades. In the delicate artwork titled “Out of this World”, the highly famous painter Gil Elvgren invites the viewer to dream of distant and exotic destinations through the sweet gaze of a sparkling heroine. This magnificent creation perfectly and vibrantly illustrates the incredible optimism of the pin-up culture of that era.

A charming brunette young woman with short curly hair is sitting directly on the light floor, surrounded by a true enthusiastic traveler’s kit. She wears a voluminous white dress adorned with large red polka dots, whose puffed fabric partially conceals a light petticoat and reveals high black stockings. Her left arm rests with gentle nonchalance on a large light blue globe, while she holds a brochure praising the merits of a distant air journey in her other hand. Scattered at her feet are numerous colorful tourist leaflets, one of which very clearly highlights the Mexican destination. Her radiant face and beautiful bright red lips reflect the excitement of an upcoming major departure.

The formidable meticulous care given to the numerous tiny details of the colorful brochures testifies to Gil Elvgren’s immense artisanal patience. His absolutely perfect pictorial mastery of soft oil paint gradients gives an admirable three-dimensional volume to the globe and does justice to the beautiful folds of the fine fabric.