George Petty

"Rigid Tool Calendar" By George Petty

17x14in

Water color and oil

1952-1953

"Bell hop" By George Petty

27x20.5in

Water color and oil

1948

     

    George Petty was born in Abbeville, Louisiana in 1894 and died in 1974 at the age of  80.  His art skills showed up in high school where he charged classmates $5 to teach art to others. He was influenced by his father who had a photo shop and that's where George learned to airbrush.  In 1916, he studied at the Academia Julian in Paris France until all Americans were sent home due to WW1.  George settled in Chicago and started painting calenders and covers for the magazine, The Household. He then opened his own studio where his career would bloom. 

     George would go down in history for his work "The Petty Girl."  Petty started the Petty Girl for the military as they were deployed in WW11.  His drawings would be sent overseas to soldiers to help them to get through tough times of being away from home.  Pettys art was an icon in the military, as the Petty Girls were drawn on the nose of the aircraft.  The Petty Girl was so popular it became a movie.

     The girl next store is how you would describe his art. His work appeared in the magazine, Esquire.  The art would be either be the cover of the magazine or center folds, advertising with girls on tools (as we see above with the rigid tool or calenders.

    George had made his work where the lines were simple and sometimes non existent.  The girls legs were made to be longer and their heads drawn smaller. Petty said his favorite model would be his first that ever posed for him, which was his wife, and then later his daughter would pose for his art.  His son would also be in his drawings as the Petty girls date.  Sure enough with Petty making this a family affair he would go down in history.  He's an amazing artist with skills of using watercolors and an airbrush, this has made him stand out from the other pinup artists.