Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Skin Game

I've just been reading a recent post in an art blog (to remain anonymous) which I typically enjoy, but not today. The post is on the topic of skin. High praise is accorded to classic artists and illustrators who dutifully chart every scar, mole, blemish and age spot. But when the example turns to pin-up artists the tone of the goes red. It is true, pin-up artists invariably make skin tones pure and rosy, glowing without the slightest taint of imperfection that the blogger and his pantheon of followers hold so praiseworthy. Not surprisingly the entire genre of pin-up received repeated lashings from the tip of a wet Windsor & Newton Kolinsky Sable brush. One comment in particular zeroed in on our man Bolles with a particularly snooty aside (comparing his girls to Gumby!) and as you might anticipate, that set me off. But first, a personal disclosure. Generally speaking I am not a pin-up fan. There are yards of it that I find insipid, misogynistic, poorly rendered or just plain dumb (think Art Frahm). But there is the good stuff and of course there is Enoch Bolles, who we all know by now was much more than just a pin-up artist. Plus it is simply unfair to compare salon artists with commercial illustrators who in the case of Bolles had the responsibility of eight mouths to feed while the economy was sunk in deep depression. Even back in his day there was a snobbery about what was called art-art versus commercial art. The debate was so serious that the guys who ran the big billboard companies would occasionally go to the absurd extreme of pasting up reproductions of classical paintings on outdoor billboards. Others claimed the art in their ads was the equivalent of fine art and so they were doing the public a service (Ha!).

Miriam Hopkins, by Enoch Bolles circa 1935. Unpublished as far as I know. As much as I admire Bolles' treatment of her skin, it's the amazing attention to her hair that really jumps out. This example should put to rest the notion that Bolles was merely a 'cartoonist'.

But back to Bolles. Skin-or at least skin color-was something he obsessed over all his life. He did not resort to tube colors or other quick fixes and in fact was continually tinkering with how to get it just right. He was trained in classic methods of painting by Robert Henri and other instructors at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design and was a keen observer of classic artists (one of these days I'll get around to posting his commentary on the techniques he thinks were used to paint the Mona Lisa). To give you an idea of Bolles' passion for getting "picture making" right, I've transcribed portions of two among the dozens of letters he exchanged with his daughter, Liza, who was a talented artist in her own right. Their correspondence involved a discussion of both theory and technique and they also exchanged study paintings. It's worth pointing out that Enoch was writing these letters from a mental hospital where he had spent nearly three decades! If there is any evidence against him "dying a mad-man" as as been claimed, then this is it. His writing reveals him to be engaged both intellectually and culturally. He was widely read and knowledgeable about an amazing range of subjects. But best of all the letters revealed his keen sense of humor and kindliness. The reality having to endure life in a hospital that housed over 7,000 patients did not rob Bolles of his humanity or sap his spirit.

Note: these are exerpts out of much longer letters. You'll notice that Enoch uses a sort of short-hand to describe certain techniques.


Enoch to daughter Liza, September, 1965 (subject: on painting a mango)

In your tilts with paints have you discovered that doing that tantalizing surface, or human skin, or an egg, depends upon a delicate progressive graying of the color from the third lighted hue on down? Lesson: mix orangy color of mango, red and yellow-this paled with white is your #2 circle with tiny bit of white in centre, #1. (Note: there is an illustration in the letter that corresponds to these numbers). To #2 mixture (orange and white) add very slightest amount of color (orange, red and yellow) and imperceptible amount of graying (blue) which will be #3, these three being your highlight. Now to #3 add small amount of color (orange) and gray slightly with blue and you have #4, the first halation from highlight. Add more color and slightly more blue #5, second halation. To this add enough color to be the true color of mango, gray slightly, #6. From here down in narrowing courses, enough in number to meet shadow, continue to add color plus red, more and more red as tone darkens and gray these with blue or black. This is not complicated after you have tried, made your mis-mixtures, finally got color and form. Of course mangos, vary in color but win your knowledge with one color of orange or light orange. If you haven't already mastered this you will be surprised by the illusion of color and form right up to the tiny brightest spot which is so important. You'll need red sable water color brush [illustrated in the letter] and of course, small flat red sable oil brushes. You will need many goes to get right mixtures and smooth blending but then you'll have a fascinating toy that most or many, painters don't have. Think of it this way; #6 is the color of mango-all above that is a sort of light-cap spreading over lighter than the true color part. Below #6 is easier, local color going down into redder hues properly grayed.


Enoch to Liza, 1968 (They had been mailing an oil portrait painted by Liza back and forth)

Our girls' neck is too dark, too red in front. Don't try for sterno-mastoid here, it would confuse you. Be led by the treatment of the copy I sent you. General color of light on front of neck, grayed red with tiny addition of yellow to match appearance but not quite brightness of face. Then match my spots of pink on cheeks and carry almost full length of cheek. Not pure pink. No made with parent color which I think was vermilion with little yellow added. Grayed of course by mixing vermilion with hue next above it and tiny bit of black. Be careful to match my grayed pink.

Now with the tiny reflected light. It is dependent upon the so-called third line which separates it from darkest lighted part of face as you see-in flesh this third line is usually made with red, black, very little which. The reflected light is usually red (more orange) bit of black, much lighter as you see, yet it can be the color of the reflecting light, whatever that may be. In modeling a garment, which the third line can be blue, almost pure, an illusion in bright lighting. Look at this old Leyendecker Post cover, double lighted, warm, cool. You will see third line running between the lights everywhere.

27 comments:

Artman2112 said...

sadly it seems there are still a large amount of 'art-intellectuals' who do not give the illustrators their just due. but it goes back even further than that to people like Mucha, Millais and Bougeaureau who were critically lambasted for making pretty pictures and being financially successful . . . after all "real' artists are supposed to suffer right? anyway, there will always be those that snub their noses at the men and women in the pinup field and that's their loss because they're missing out on some brilliant work and shortchanging some incredibly talented people. For me its the illustrators that saved art during most of the 20th century because fine art as it were seemed deeply immersed in 'ugliness' whereas guys like Bolles, Wyeth, Parrish etc etc were giving us beautifully romanticized, idealized recreations of life. oh well, sorry for the rant!
btw i was very glad to see a blog dedicated to Bolles, who is fast becoming one of my fave of all the pin up masters! TY!

Michael Dooney said...

do you have the diagrams explained in the Mango letter? It would make things easier to grasp I think...

Alan Wrobel said...

And that's the glory of the pin-ups! They're romantic, inspirational, motivating, uplifting, invigorating, energizing. The truth and beauty of them all shine through the noise of today like a beacon through a hurricane. To the realists I say, 'Put that in your pipe and smoke it!'

Jack R said...

Artman: Glad that you have enjoyed this blog and I enjoyed reading your comments which made me think that perhaps the turf battle was so intense because both illustration and fine art were at a stage of transformation, with huge talents on each side.

Michael: I will try and scan the image but imagine a series of circles drawn like a target on a mango, numbered from one (center) to six (periphery).

Alan: I agree! Who needs more ugly in this world.

David Apatoff said...

Jack R, I suspect that I am the culprit, or at least the host to some of the culprits, you describe. I enjoy your site here very much, and (as I mentioned in the comments to my blog post and in other contexts) I do like Bolles' work.

I am not opposed to pin-up art or any other kind of idealized art in principle. I do draw big distinctions between different pin up artists; I have written in praise of Petty and Elvgren before, and would write in praise of Bolles but you seem to have covered his work far more effectively than I could. On the other hand, I confess I find nothing intriguing or alluring about the work of Vargas (whose unimaginative formula for painting skin never seemed to vary). Artman2112 and I are in the process of comparing notes about Olivia; I don't care for her earlier work and Playboy series, which I view as sleek but uninspired. Artman2112 has introduced me to her later work and I am learning a few things.

I thought your treatment about Bolles and the attention he paid to skin color in this post was very instructive. I have never seen an original Bolles (I have seen plenty of Petty and Vargas originals) but your post makes me wish I could spend some time with a few of them.

In my post, I tried to pick examples that would convey that I wasn't just talking about microscopic realism, where every wart and mole and scar was captured. I offered a Bob Peak painting with flat blue skin, or a Lautrec sketch with bold brush strokes. To try to state it better, I suppose I was looking for a little more humanity and imagination and personal commitment from the artist than I find in some pin up art. For example, I find Bolles' work consistently optimistic and fun, but some pin up art seems as dreary and depressing as an inflatable love doll. Does that make sense?

Jack R said...

Hi David,
You caught me! From my last post you could see that I too find a lot of pinup art to be, as you so aptly describe, dreary. At the same time my situation pretty much precludes objectivity. On one hand I'm not a big Vargas fan (though it’s worth distinguishing the Esquire era from everything thereafter) but I have an emotional connection to him through his biographer and champion, the late Reid Austin who was a friend and mentor. Because of Reid the situation is the same with Petty (Reid never could decide which of the two he liked better). I find Petty’s early work invigorating but then he slipped into a phase where his girls were grafted at the waist, hips down she was a six footer but above only five foot two (you can read letters in Esquire from readers who complained about this). Reid could never explain it to me.

Olivia is a big fan of Bolles and has been very supportive and generous to me with her time and insights about the entire pinup genre. And it sounds like Artman2112 has shared with you some of the more interesting “wrinkles” to her work. Plus, how can you not like someone who can tell a story (alas, via email) about having dinner with Dita Von Teese when Pamela Anderson just happened to show up to chat.

As far as Bolles goes, my objectivity gets tossed out the window (though I’d be the first to point out his duds). Yet the more I see of his work the more convinced I am that he’s been unfairly pigeon-holed if not maligned. Just today I got an old movie company catalog from the
1920s in the mail that had some fabulous Bolles illustrations that were recognizable yet completely removed from his magazine work. My own small collection of his original work may not be representative but from where I sit it seems to me that he was all about skin. Thanks for your thoughtful post, and I encourage any reader of this blog to check out Illustration Art, especially the most recent post!

Artman2112 said...

I neglected to mention to David that i dont care much for Olivia's playboy work either. It is usually VERY stiff in comparison to other things she was doing even during that same time period. To me her best early stuff was the Bettie pieces and of course her images of Bella! i think she has consistantly improved over the years and her output is simply awe-inspriring!
i agree, there is certainly a lot of bad pinup art out there, but that can be said of practically any art genre and any genre of any of the arts in general! there is always a sea of chaffe to wade through to get to the good stuff but the good stuff is always worth the effort. that we dont always agree just what exactly IS the good stuff is irrelevent, there's plenty of it out there to suit all tastes and types of people, even a "pig" like me (TY Rob Howard!)
speaking of skin tones has anyone here ever seen an original Bougeureau painting? i'e had the good fortune of seeing 3 of them, one in particular an absolute masterpiece of its time, "Nymphs and Satyr" (all 8' tall of it!) it resides in the Clark museum about 3 hours from my home along with about 35 Renoirs, who is not really my cup of tea but still, lovely to see such work in person!!
still i'd rather see a room full of Bolles' or Armstrongs myself ;)

David Apatoff said...

"I find Petty’s early work invigorating but then he slipped into a phase where his girls were grafted at the waist, hips down she was a six footer but above only five foot two."

Ahh, it's the old "grafted at the waist" syndrome. I always figured that Petty was just an unrepentant leg man. But I would love to see you or artman do a post on "grafted at the waist." Frazetta used to graft the posterior of a much larger woman onto the frame of fairly petite one. And of course, countless illustrators graft the breasts of some healthy bovine creature onto annorexic bodies that don't otherwise have a single ounce of body fat. I always figured the ability to mix-and-match according to your own personal taste was one of the main reasons for becoming a pin up artist.

It seems to me that a lot of these artists started out their careers using conventional proportions and only felt free to indulge their personal tastes after they became financially successful. McGinnis is a great example of that-- his later women have legs like daddy long legs spiders (another example for your "grafted at the waist" post) but that must be the way he likes 'em.

Operator_99 said...

Thanks for posting that beautiful picture of Miriam.

Jack R said...

The point when the calf of a Petty girl began to exceed the circumference of her waistline is where I checked out. Bolles, of course, was just as guilty of the mix-and-match method of creating a pinup, though I find his somatotype more palatable (except for his weird big head-small body stage circa 1930, and his little girl in a grown up body work can be disturbing). On the other hand, my mother, who worked for many years as a fashion illustrator, thinks Bolles’ proportions are a mess. But not all anatomical mash-ups are created equal, and David, your description of Frazetta is the perfect example. So many have tried to duplicate the Frazetta girl and her beauteous gluteus, but you can spot them a mile off. They are just plain wrong! McGinnis also knew exactly when to stop stretching, another inch and the effect is ruined. What was about art that someone said long ago?..one more or one less paint stroke and it’s no longer a masterpiece.

Jack R said...

Artman2112: Thanks for insights on Olivia's work. Isn't it true that she works in gouache?

O99: If you ever come across the image on a movie magazine cover PLEASE let me know. I'll do a post soon with all the Bolles movie mag covers I have. Plus some of his Fox Film Ads.

Artman2112 said...

Jack - According to what i've read in her books, Olivia has worked with oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouche and also pastels and graphite as well. Some of my fave of her stuff is in gouche though. she seems to get a sense of freedom in that medium and doesnt obsess over detail much. its odd that i would perfer her looser work because in the last few years i've really gotten into the Pre-Raphaelites and they were insane about detail and minute observations in their renderings.

i enjoyed the comments here about the way certain artists have exaggerated the anatomy, either successfully or not. McGinnis went a bit too far a couple of times with the legs but the majority of his work i've seen i greatly admire and enjoy (and he did the best ever painting of John Wayne!)
i think Frazetta was proably the most adept at pushing the limits of anatomical exaggerataion and having it all still work. little things like the curve of the lower leg and positions of hands and fingers that could never be achieved by a living person seem perfectly acceptable in a Frazetta painting.
it's sad nowadays to see various art and comic book females who look like they've had porn star breast implants and waists that one could easily encircle with their hands. quite silly actually. besides, no ones' gonna top Bill Ward for THAT look anyway!

btw i read something on yahoo news today about martignette's collection starting to be auctioned off. Did he have any Bolles originals? i would assume YES but one never knows. i think this stuff is gonna set records for prices paid on several artists.

M. D. Jackson said...

I read that post and had a similar reaction. The Bolles letter excerpts in your post were most illuminating. Thank you for presenting them.

Jack R said...

There are four Bolles originals in the upcoming Heritage auction (three are Martignetti's), including the amazing polar bear girl. If you sign-up you can download super-high resolution images. He also owned several others (french maid, cannon girl) that I'm sure will be coming up for sale in future auctions. I just got on the site and if you hurry there are TWO hours remaining to bid on these paintings before the auction closes, so start breaking your piggy banks.

Artman2112: it's really impressive that Olivia has done work in so many media. Maybe she'll give egg tempera a shot next!!

M.D. Jackson: Glad you enjoyed these exerpts and I will do more.

Artman2112 said...

right now if i break my piggy bank open i may have just enough to buy a new piggy bank, but a Bolles original . . . *sigh* i think not.

personally i'd love to see Olivia take a shot using colored pencils, that's my medium of choice. i'm sure it would be interesting!

one point i thought of earlier today is that she seems to be using less and less airbrush which probably also accounts for the looser styles she's playing around with.

Jack R said...

I'll have to take a look at Olivia's recent work to see what you mean. It's been quite a while since I've been in email contact with Olivia but the next time I send a message I'll ask her if she would comment on her technique for this blog.

I did put a bid on the smallest Bolles, which I thought might be within striking range but got nowhere :(

Jack R said...
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Artman2112 said...

wow that would be great Jack! Also be great to find out when/if she's going to do her next book. as far as i know, she hasnt done a new "cheesecake" book since the American Geisha, so i've seen very little of her newest stuff and i'll bet there's a ton of it!

sorry about the Bolles :(

Alan Wrobel said...

Yo yo yo! I saw those Bolles up for sale too! I saw a recent Bolles sell for $25,600 (I'd give it a 7 on a 10 Bolles scale) so I would be insulted if that Polar Bear one didn't sell for less than $50K, the ski one for $40K, but wish me luck on the beret girl in the boat! Off to the races we go

Jack R said...

Wow,
I just checked the prices at Heritage on the Bolles painting and the skier girl (the smaller of the final paintings) went for a whopping $65,000! A record for Bolles by far. A friend got the polar bear girl and the rower and the prices on these were also sky high. I'll do a post on this later today.

Alan Wrobel said...

Jack, I wish I had the 'jack' to get one of those. I topped out at $15k for that beret girl in the boat. Did you see the Elvgren's?!?! $160,000+!!! I can only guess its because of the book Meisel wrote about him. If you get your Bolles book done....

Jack R said...

I hadn't checked the other prices but something strange is happening. Maybe the traders at Goldman Sachs have taken up collecting pinup art. Wouldn't that be a shame!!

Gary Underwood said...

Hi Jack, I had the pleasure to attend the auction yesterday. It was a real honor to be up real close to the fun girls.On canvas, the Bolles style really comes to life, with the scale and vivid colors, usually lacking on the Film Fun covers. There were only about 18-20 people in the audience. Mostly non-bidders.About 15 HERITAGE agents were working the phone banks, and the bids were brisk, and a couple monitoring the internet for bids. I was prepared to bid on the BREEZY girl, but the pace was so furious , i never got the chance to raise my paddle, and then it was out of reach. However, the auction staff was kind enough to allow me to bring my camera in, and I shot the 3 larger paintings, and was allowed to inspect the smaller painting before the auction began. After the "SLIPPING BEAUTY" painting knocked down $55,000 there was a round of applause in the showroom, and that said it all.

Jack R said...

Wow! How great that you were there and got to see the paintings first hand, Gary. I put a couple bids on the smallest painting but no luck either. Let's hope the market cools down a bit for the next batch.

I totally know what you mean about seeing the originals. The Film Fun reproductions come nowhere close to depicting the original work, which has so much more impact and vibrancy. That's not always the case with original illustrations. Sometimes the original can appear unfinished or rough compared to the printed product.

Anonymous said...

It was extremely interesting for me to read this blog. Thanks for it. I like such topics and anything connected to this matter. I definitely want to read a bit more on that blog soon.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Bolles seems to have been influenced by the great neo classical artists, Ingres is an obvious reference here.

Alan