Gymnastic Lovers "We'll Take This One"

Dink Siegel is first a conceptual artist and then a cartoonist.
In the present work, Siegel depicts the interior of a bed store. He captures an exuberant moment that features an attractive young couple entwined in mid-air, as if they were bouncing on a trampoline instead of a bed. Envious older folks surround them in astonishment as the young couple show off their young, nubile bodies flexing with sexual overtones. A reaction shot of the prim salesman at the suggestion of energetic sex says it all. The caption reads "We'll Take This One."

Playboy played an essential role in the sexual revolution; yet, this work from 1965 is quite tame. It highlights the conservative nature of the country, and hence the gag payoff from the startled salesman. It wasn't until two years later, in 1967, with the Hippie, Free Love, Counter Culture movement, that marked a turning point in attitudes towards sex. This cartoon, which reveals only a small amount of cleavage and a hint of exposed thigh, was effective in 1965 but would not have been effective in 1967. In addition to Siegel's conceptual talents, he is a master of painting the human figure in a way that tells a story. Playboy was a men's entertainment magazine. Readers, male and female, wanted to see sexy women. The careful placement of the female subject, who is centered in the frame, with the man playing a secondary role, is deliberate. Additionally, the unexpected disposition of both airborne figures is in itself a work of art.
This work is more than just a cartoon in a men's magazine. Siegel's composition is masterfully crafted to convey a complex narrative in a single image, resulting in a tour de force work of art.
Signed lower right - The artwork appeared on page 145 of the January 1965 issue of Playboy Magazine. This was one of Playboy's more memorable cartoons. Framed under glass: 14.25 x 11.25 inches