Summary:
Sculptures were made of
Paleolithic women in prehistoric times and are seen as possible fertility or
erotic talisman symbols by anthropologists. The Greeks were all about the nude,
being that the first Olympics had naked athletes compete, although they were
men only at this time ("The
history of,"). Erotic art was prominent in Rome and Pompeii, being that
there were many sexual illustrations all over many murals, sculptures, and
marketplaces. This was before the religion became Christianity in the Fourth
Century under Emperor Constantine. “Immoral ‘pagan’ imagery was banished and
driven underground” ("The history of,"). This time period was known
as The Dark Ages. There came a point
where the merchant class, too, could be financially supported, leading to “a
new definition of feminine beauty” that could be developed ("The history
of,"). Many Italian fables were used to have a reason to show naked women,
ensuing with the Renaissance. During the time of the middle ages, only the
wealthy people were offered illuminated manuscripts. Producing graphics at the
time was a long and costly process. Photography was soon developed after
Lithography had been invented towards the end of the 18th century.
Photography allowed new printing techniques that assisted in producing better
quality print jobs that were done a lot faster and larger. The Golden Age of
Illustration (about 1880-1920) soon began after printed material was available
to not only the wealth, but to everyone ("The history of,"). There weren’t
many models or photographers to photograph them after the war to fill these
magazines, so Abstract Impressionists overtook the art world instead ("The
history of,").
Before the upsurge of pin-ups in the
late 20th century, the art seen prior “challenged the role an artist
played in relation to the world around themselves” ("The history
of,"). Pin-ups had been popular
during World War II; Louis F. Dow Calendar
Company produced special booklets of pin-up that were mailed overseas to
soldiers. After World War II, consumerism increased along
with the popularity of erotic images. This time period is referred to as the
Popular Revolution, in which pin-up girls truly became iconic. The official
definition of a pin-up girl, the first used in 1941 (but the actual practice
dating back to the 1890s), is as follows: “A
pin-up girl is a woman whose physical attractiveness would entice one to place
a picture of her on a wall” ("The history
of,"). The craze began with images of attractive women being cut out of
magazines and hung up, or calendars (most popular form of pin-up material at
the turn of the century) with these women being hung up, but then lead to
complete posters of these women that were mass-produced ("The history
of,"). Post-war, Christian Dior altered his undergarments, separating them
into two separate pieces, the bra and girdle.
Pin-up girls were not only actresses that were viewed as sex
symbols, but were also plainly artwork in some cases depicting the ideal “sexy”
woman. Male pin-ups, on the other hand, are referred to as “beefcakes” (female
pin-ups would be considered cheesecakes).
The New York Society censored Paul Chabas’s “September Morn”
(a rather controversial nude image); regardless, this images was found all over
calendars, postcards, etc. “Romantic nudity” was found during the Art Deco
Period ("The history of,"). Merely displaying the ankle of a woman
was seen as risqué and reprehensible. Yet, just one generation later it took a
lot more skin to get the same reaction.
The peak of the Golden Illustration was during the 1920s in
part because of the new film industry. Businesses were attempting to create an
identity that would be popular with the public at this point. A new trend began
to develop in this new era of pop culture: “higher brow fare offered by such
slick periodicals” ("The history of,"). These periodicals included
ones prior to playboy (mainly Esquire), such as the Cosmopolitan and The
Saturday Evening Post. Art Deco’s “romantic nudes” mentioned before were “tasteful”
enough to be placed in these magazines ("The history of,"). Esquire had never had nudity that would be
considered explicit in contrast to Playboy who came a little while after.
Alberto Vargas y
Chávez, who developed the Vargas Girls in the early 1900s, began on the more
conservative side, but wound up creating the concept of the centerfold. A
commercial artist who worked at Esquire before Vargas was George Petty (the
creator of “The Petty Girl”). “The Petty Girl”, present from the 1930s-1950s,
even having a movie made about her – as she was “a fictitious airbrushed icon” ("The history of,").
A new thought arose in the 1930s, “If a pretty, wholesome girl-next-door could be
utilized to sell a product, why not a girl in stockings modestly flashing some
skin?” This concept evolved commercialization greatly ("The history of,"). The “mayonnaise school” refers
to a lush oil technique that involved the use of thick layers of paint in order
to “attain warmth and a glow” ("The history of,"). This technique was
used by many pin-ups that are of significance. Initially, “explicit” men’s
magazines “made such innocent
depictions seem quaint and old-fashioned” Pubic hair
was first shown in Penthouse in 1970 ("The history of,").
Today, the sex symbols are “comprised of pre-packaged teen sensations, silicone-enhanced quasi
porn stars and anorexic 'supermodels” ("The
history of,"). Airbrushing is a technique almost always used in today’s
photographs, which leave the images of these women looking too perfect, that
they look phony. The more modern pin-up artists have “turned their vision
towards photorealistic fantasy or fetishistic subjects and lack the innocence
of their predecessors” ("The history of,").
The Rocketeer character, created by Dave Stevens, is a modern
recreation of the vintage style pin-up, meaning not every detail of a woman’s
body is given all at once. With artists such as Stevens, the style of the 1950s
vintage pin-up is being brought back.
Analysis:
This article really emphasized
the evolvement of the idea of the
pin-up over time, as well as the actual pin-up girl in herself. Beginning with
cavemen creating sculptures of women, Greeks showcasing naked athletes in the
Olympics (taking pride in one’s body and flaunting it to others), sexual
depictions found all over Rome and Pompeii, etc. In many areas throughout
Europe and America, this idea of recognizing the apparent beauty of a naked
body progressed into the creation of the pin-up girl. It began with a sense of
innocence and admiration, but eventually led up to the “pin-ups” of today. The
way a woman’s naked body is viewed today is from an entirely different
perspective. It’s lost its tastefulness and beauty and has become vulgar and
coarse. The authentic has become synthetic and the mystery has been lost.
Reflection
Questions:
1.
Why
have the images of pin-ups evolved from being depicted as a natural woman to a
synthetic one?
2.
How
did the idea of the pin-up come to be?
