Composed and Comfortable

Donald Rust is the artist behind the artwork above. Being born in 1932, he wasn't part of the great pinup era, but was very influenced by his own grandfather, Emil Rust, Gil Elvgren and Norman Rockwell, among others.

The picture above is dynamic and reassuring. The model strikes a confident and comfortable pose. The triangular composition created by her hands on her head, parallel to her right leg crossing horizontally her vertical left leg, serve to create a sense of balance and stability while at the same time creating a sense of dynamic movement. In this pose, her feminine curves are accentuated. Her light blue robe serves as a buffer zone between the stark white background and the black teddy she's wearing. Her bust becomes more prominent thanks to the contrast created by the white background which makes her black teddy more visible.

If you observe closely, there is a tense dynamic created by the opposite directions of the face and bust. Her bust line flows from the upper left down the bottom right, while her face creates an opposite line, from lower left to upper right. This makes her look more curvaceous and invitingly seductive and gives the painting a sense of movement and balance.