The Details in Black & White

Can cars be considered art? It’s an interesting question. Some people insist that art has no other purpose than to be art. Cars, of course, have other purposes. So, by that definition, the answer is no, cars can not be art. However, I disagree. I would argue that cars are born of art and therefore can be considered art. If you know anything about automotive design you know that it all begins on a sheet of paper. A designer sketches out the shape using only his technical expertise and artistic ability. From there the basic shape is sculpted in clay where it gets further and further refined by some of the finest sculptors on the planet. Only after a number of iterations and failures is a finished design revealed to the public. Essentially my argument boils down to art begets art.

In the 1920s and 30s you could purchase a chassis and running gear from a car company like Packard or Duesenberg and have a bespoke body designed by coachbuilders. This meant that many cars from this era are one-offs. Truly rolling sculptures all pieces of art in their own right.

High-end marques like Ferrari, Bugatti and Aston Martin were hand forming their cars out of different metal alloys. If you look closely at these cars you can still see the hammer marks where a master craftsman banged out an iconic shape, one hammer strike at a time. These cars were also assembled by hand by highly skilled builders. Every bolt was hand tightened, every stitch in the interior hand stitched. This makes each of these cars one of a kind as well. No two are exactly alike.

I asked the question because I happen to consider cars, especially cars of these bygone eras, to be artistic in nature. Often, to make this point you have to look closely at the details and that is what the following gallery is all about. Sometimes it’s a certain shape that catches the light just right or the seemingly insignificant attention to detail paid to a specific part. For instance, the photo above depicting the textured “cosmetic cover” that is bolted to the top of the intake plenum on the Ferrari 599 GTB. It doesn’t need to be there, but the attention to detail afforded it, and its inclusion on the car, help raise the status of the 599 to something at least akin to art.

It’s said, “beauty is in the details.” I would argue that art is as well. And so, I present to you the following gallery: The Details in Black & White.

If you would like to purchase any of these photographs as finished art to hang in your home click here or contact Shawn directly to discuss custom options.