SOLD! - A Man In The Middle - 1970 (Paperback Library 63-203)

Compare the art with the scan of the digest itself up above!

This is the original painting published as the cover to A Man in the Middle, written by M.E. Chaber and published as book #2 in the 25 book Milo March series.

The painting exhibits several of the usual elements McGinnis is known for: A sexy "McGinnis Girl", a prop of some sort(cigarette holder), a period or antique piece of furniture (in this case the little wicker chair I used to own myself but forget what they are actually called), a tough guy with a gun, in this case with the tough, rugged likeness of actor James Coburn, and one of my absolute favorite elements he's known for: killer, period fashion! Because McGinnis almost always employed female models from the Wilhelmina and Ford modelling agencies, it was natural for them to have access to high fashion clothing of the period. While some of it, such as the white suits and male bathing suits worn on other Milo March covers looks dated and unattractive today, most of the fashions worn by models on McGinnis covers are exquisite to look at, and thankfully this is one of those examples. I mean look at the straps on her shoes, they go all the way up to the knees. Not sure what you call the skimpy article of clothing she's wearing, maybe a negligée? But it's sexy as ----! Even that plastic colored bracelet is amazing. The tough guy's fashion might even be nicer than the McGinnis Girl's. Those striped pants and big, buckled belt are absolutely killer! Sandwiching them between those white shoes and snug white t-shirt give him the perfect bad ass, rock star look! I think perhaps the one thing I love about this piece as much as the gorgeous models and fashion, is McGinnis' decision to use primarily a lavender palette for this painting. It is such a unique color and one I can't recall him ever using previously or since, and really makes it stand out from all his other work.

As ever, McGinnis' technique is exquisite. From the soft flesh tones on the female, to the wicker she's sitting on, the thin, delicate material of the piece she's wearing, down to the white leather shoes Coburn has on his feet, all the different textures are incredibly lifelike. All these elements combine to make this the most unique and one of my favorite McGinnis covers.

BOARD: 15 x 20

Possibly Egg Tempera on 1/8" Illustration Board