Order Please
Alberto Vargas, a Peruvian-born artist renowned for his glamorous and captivating pin-up illustrations, created Order Please in the mid-20th century. Known for his impeccable ability to blend sensuality with elegance, Vargas’s works became iconic in American pop culture. This particular piece, Order Please, showcases the artist’s mastery of form, color, and his ability to create captivating female figures. Born in 1896 and passing in 1982, Vargas’s legacy continues to influence the art world, particularly within the realms of pin-up art and the depiction of female beauty.
Table of Contents
Main Subject
The main subject of Order Please is a woman, poised in a relaxed yet confident posture. Seated with her legs crossed, she gazes directly at the viewer with a playful yet seductive expression. The woman’s platinum blonde hair is styled in soft waves, accentuating the vintage glamour that defines Vargas’s pin-up art.
She wears a delicate, ruffled garment with a soft pastel palette, primarily white, which contributes to the airy, ethereal feel of the image. The soft folds of her clothing and her poised position emphasize both her femininity and her strength, exuding an aura of elegance and charm.
Her facial expression is one of quiet confidence, subtly suggestive yet not overtly sexual. Her gaze is direct, engaging the viewer with an almost whimsical invitation to admire her beauty. The contrast between the softness of her attire and the boldness of her expression makes her appear both approachable and mysterious. Her nude or bare shoulders further enhance the sensual aspect of her appearance, while the simplicity of her pose and attire keeps the focus on her natural allure.
Objects
In the foreground of the painting, the woman holds a white object delicately in her right hand, though its precise nature is not entirely clear. It could be interpreted as a folded letter or a piece of paper, suggesting communication or perhaps a message.
This simple object, though small, contrasts with the grandeur of the figure, creating a subtle narrative element that complements the overall theme of the artwork. The use of this item as a focal point helps to balance the viewer’s attention between the woman’s form and the object’s ambiguity, which adds a layer of intrigue to the piece.
There is also a subtle round emblem, positioned in the upper-right corner of the artwork. This emblem, while not elaborated upon in the visual narrative, evokes a sense of order and authority, hinting at the title Order Please. The emblem and its placement seem to introduce a formal or controlled element within the otherwise informal and playful atmosphere of the woman’s pose, subtly reinforcing the theme of command and elegance.
Terrain and Background
The background of Order Please consists of alternating black and white stripes, which contrast sharply with the softer hues of the woman’s figure and attire. These stripes serve multiple purposes: they ground the figure in an abstract, graphic environment while also emphasizing the smooth contours of her body.
The starkness of the black-and-white stripes creates a dynamic tension with the more organic curves of the figure, highlighting the harmony between the human form and its environment. This contrast is a characteristic element of Vargas’s style, where he often employed bold, graphic backgrounds to underscore the sensuality of the female figures without overwhelming them.
The geometric nature of the background adds a layer of modernity to the otherwise vintage and timeless feel of the figure. The stripes lend a sense of order and structure, making the subject’s relaxed, confident demeanor seem even more out of place within such an ordered space. This contrast of elements creates a visual tension that draws the viewer’s eye toward the central figure while maintaining the graphic integrity of the overall composition.
Style, Theme, and Mood
Alberto Vargas’s work is deeply rooted in the pin-up style, characterized by its playful sensuality, idealized beauty, and vibrant color schemes. The painting exudes a sense of glamour and sophistication, with the sensuality of the subject tempered by the clean lines and formal environment of the background.
The mood of Order Please is one of confident allure, with the woman depicted as both approachable and commanding. The juxtaposition of soft, feminine curves and the structured geometric lines of the background gives the piece a dynamic balance, characteristic of Vargas’s ability to infuse life into a static image.
The theme of order, suggested by the title, plays out in the contrast between the soft and the structured, the sensual and the formal. The image of a woman comfortably seated, exuding confidence and poise, reflects the idea of control and elegance amidst the orderliness of the world around her. Vargas’s pin-up art, often considered a form of escapism, invites the viewer to partake in a world where beauty and grace rule, and where the viewer’s gaze is captured by both the subject’s physical form and the implied narrative of the scene.
The use of color also plays a critical role in the piece’s overall mood. The soft pastels of the woman’s clothing, contrasted with the bolder black-and-white stripes, create a visual harmony that speaks to the idealization of beauty, while the intensity of the subject’s expression suggests a deeper, more complex emotional depth than would otherwise be inferred from her attire alone.
Conclusion
Order Please by Alberto Vargas is a masterful example of mid-20th-century pin-up art, blending sensuality with sophistication and creating a visual narrative that speaks to both the strength and vulnerability of the female form. The confident pose of the subject, the abstracted background, and the interplay of soft and bold elements all contribute to an artwork that is both timeless and evocative. Through this piece, Vargas continues to exemplify his unparalleled skill in capturing the essence of feminine beauty and the interplay of order and sensuality.
This is a remastered digital art old masters reproduction of a public domain image that is available as a canvas print online.
Artist Bio From Wikipedia.org
Born in Arequipa, Peru, he was the son of noted Peruvian photographer Max T. Vargas. Alberto Vargas moved to the United States in 1916 after studying art in Europe, Zurich, and Geneva prior to World War I.
While he was in Europe he came upon the French magazine La Vie Parisienne, with a cover by Raphael Kirchner, which he said was a great influence on his work.
His early career in New York included work as an artist for the Ziegfeld Follies and for many Hollywood studios. Ziegfeld hung his painting of Olive Thomas at the theater, and she was thought of as one of the earliest Vargas Girls.
Vargas’ most famous piece of film work was for the poster of the 1933 film The Sin of Nora Moran, which shows a near-naked Zita Johann in a pose of desperation. The poster is frequently named one of the greatest movie posters ever made.
He became widely noted in the 1940s as the creator of iconic World War-II era pin-ups for Esquire magazine known as “Vargas Girls.” Between 1940 and 1946 Vargas produced 180 paintings for the magazine.
The nose art of many American and Allied World War II aircraft was inspired and adapted from these Esquire pin-ups, as well as those of George Petty, and other artists.
