ABOUT THIS GALLERY: For more than a half century, the Vargas Girl -- that
voluptuous pinup -- has been the model for beauty in pulp, posters and
magazine covers. But recreating the airy, translucent quality of an illustration
in a photograph can be a decidedly ugly task -- or at least a labor of
love. "We had a team of people who'd work eight to 10 hours with a
model, putting on body paint, taping a negative of an outfit, propping
her up on sandbags or bubble wrap or whatever it took to get them into
the right position," explains photographer Timothy White who produced
these stylized portraits in 1990-91 for Esquire magazine.
After one session was over, White attacked the pictures for 50 to 60 hours
on his computer, playing surgeon. "We were going for the ultimate
ideal, so I changed manicures, whitened teeth, added shadows, completely
altered toes sometimes or cut off fingers... I was trying to make perfection."
A foot might come from one picture, a hand from another. If the method
recalls Frankenstein, the results appear seamless. But would New York-based
White, 41, consider taking on the assignment again? "It was the sort
of job you dream about," he says, but "I'm glad it's over because
it was a lot of work." |