The Winner a Fair Catch by Gil Elvgren

Drawing its inspiration from traditional festive games, the wonderful painting entitled “The Winner a Fair Catch” perfectly embodies the mischievous charm and the adventures dear to Pin-up art. The virtuoso artist Gil Elvgren imagines here an unusual indoor scene where playful distraction suddenly turns into involuntary seduction. This masterpiece of narrative expressiveness brilliantly combines the candor of a popular activity with a suggested and deeply joyful eroticism.

Kneeling on a tufted sky-blue cushion, a pretty brunette with light eyes and flowers in her hair holds a large bright red apple between her teeth. Water drips from her chin and cheeks towards her generous cleavage highlighted by an almost transparent white peasant blouse. In a reflex gesture, she lifts the back of her full skirt with yellow, black, and red stripes, unreservedly revealing her bare thighs, her white garters, and her dark stockings. In front of her, a rustic wooden tub hooped with metal contains clear water and other floating apples, all standing out against a neutral gray background.

The care taken by Gil Elvgren in the illustration of liquids is a true pictorial tour de force. The transparency of the water drops beaded on the skin and the translucency of the wet blouse prove his unrivaled mastery of complex textures in oil painting.