If I were a rich girl, part 2

Bronko Nagurski vs. Killer Kowalski

I don't know what it is about this painting by Vaughan Bass, but I find it so visually appealing and amusing. Bass was a Chicago artist who specialized in creating pin-ups and his style was often likened to that of Gil Elvgren (1914-1980), who's work I really admire, which may explain a bit of my attraction to Bass's work. Fittingly, Bass was employed in the 30s and 40s as the "paint over" artist for some of Elvgren's pin-ups, re-doing them so that they could be used for other advertisements. Bass is probably best known for his creation of the Wonder Bread Girl in the 1950s, which is about the same time that he began painting a series of works based on wrestlers of the period. This particular work was likely the basis for one of the illustrations that appeared in this 1955 calendar. You can see more of Bass's works here; enjoy!