ma Elvgren Aiming To Please Gil Elvgren (1914-1980)

The artwork presents a woman in a stylized Western setting. She is positioned atop a weathered wooden fence, her posture suggesting both casual confidence and playful flirtation. Her attire consists of a white cowboy hat adorned with a red star, a fringed top revealing considerable décolletage, matching fringe skirt, and high-heeled boots – all rendered in a palette of whites, creams, and subtle shading to emphasize form. She holds a pistol aloft, seemingly aiming, though the gesture appears more theatrical than threatening. A plume of smoke rises from the barrel, adding an element of staged drama.
The background is dominated by a deep blue sky, punctuated by silhouetted cacti in the lower right corner, establishing a clear desert locale. The artist employed a strong light source that illuminates the woman’s figure, highlighting her skin and creating sharp contrasts with the darker backdrop. This lighting contributes to an overall sense of glamour and artificiality.
Several subtexts emerge from this composition. The combination of feminine allure and weaponry creates a deliberate tension – a juxtaposition of traditionally opposing roles. The womans pose, while suggestive, avoids overt sexuality; instead, it conveys a carefully constructed image of playful independence. The act of aiming the pistol can be interpreted as a symbolic assertion of power or control, albeit presented within a framework of entertainment and fantasy.
The artist’s signature is visible in the lower left corner, adding to the sense that this is a manufactured spectacle – a product designed for consumption. Ultimately, the work seems to explore themes of femininity, performance, and the construction of identity within a specific cultural context, utilizing visual cues associated with both Western iconography and idealized notions of female beauty.