Everyone Loves Cheesecake...Pin-up, that is!!!

Pinups! Who doesn't love them? I've loved "cheesecake" pin-up for as long as I can remember. The girls in the pictures were always so feminine and flirty and looked like they were having so much fun!!!

So have some fun with me as I share with you my absolute favorite pinups!

My first favorites come from Edward Runci. While researching this I realized there is not much written about him in the way of a biography, which is a shame. Runci (July 4, 1921-July 1986)  was born in Sicily and moved to the US in the 1930s.  He became popular for his paintings of women for the Coca- Cola Company!

Here is a platter and bowl a close friend gave me. I LOVE it. Its perfect decor for our living room!! I believe Runci painted these (not the actual platter hehe, but the picture on it)  but I'm not sure. I couldn't find anything identical on the web. It looks like his work anyway. But regardless it's totally cute!

I'm not sure why but this is my absolute favorite Runci painting. I just think it's so beautiful and carefree!

Next on my list is  Gil Elvgren (1914-1980). When I think of pin-up I think of Gil Elvgren automatically. His pin-ups always looked like they were taken by surprise in some compromising situation.  They're campy and funny! They all seem to have the original "duck lips" that (for better or worse) appear in many a young girls' Facebook profile picture.

This one is one of my favorites for obvious reasons. Its called "The Perfect Form"

This one:  "Hold Everything" is all about the sexy Librarian!  A smart girl depicted as sexy! Love it!

I also love the "photos to paints'. It's fun to see the gal behind the painting.

The next paintings are by Alberto Vargas (1896-1982). I feel like he may be the more famous of the three artists that I have featured. Vargas was born in Peru and landed on Ellis Island in NYC in 1916.  In 1919 he was asked to paint portraits of the Ziegfeld Follies girls. Which is where my favorite pin-up of all time comes from.

"Memories of Olive" I adore this painting. It has such passion, grace and beauty which is how I want to live my life everyday.There is a honesty about it that is haunting to me.  This portrait holds great significance to me. I'm thinking of getting a tattoo of it.

I also love this one. As you can see I'm partial to the ballerinas... I wonder why??? 

Sigh... Aren't they DELICIOUS?!?!?!?! These are just a few, but not all of my favorites. I think I'll do another post about pin-up photography. There are a lot of beautiful photos out there of Norma Jean (or Marilyn Monroe), Jane Russell and other Hollywood starlets.  

I have read that the art of the pin-up went out of fashion around the late 1960s and early 1970's because of the feminist movement. Pin-ups were thought to represent the weaker woman image that the world was trying to move away from. I don't see it that way though. I think they were gutsy women who weren't afraid to show a sexy side. However,  I do understand why at the time people would think that. The feminist movement was definitely needed. Without it who knows where women would be today. Definitely not in politics and running large corporations.

Luckily pin-up has seemed to make a comeback with the emergence of modern day pin-up girls such as Bernie Dexter and Dita Von Teese who model themselves after classic pin-up girls (although Dita is more of a burlesque star). Oh! And how could I forget Angelique Noire. She is an amazingly beautiful African -American pin-up.

 I think the world is to a point now where it's okay to be sexy AND smart. It is completely possible to be a power attorney (or stay at home mom, or ballet teacher...wink wink)  and be alluring and celebrate your femininity at the same time. Come on... Being a girl is a BLAST for most of us! YAY GIRL POWER!!!

An Extra!!! Si Cranstoun's "50s Pinup Girl"! With Bernie Dexter!!!

Lets here it for the girls!!!!