The Relationship Between Cars and Art: A Complex Affair

Encars and art have a complicated relationship, with each influencing the other in profound ways. Art inspires automotive design, and in turn, these designs inspire art itself. The two worlds are intertwined, yet this relationship raises questions about whether cars can be considered art. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know a lot about art, as it's intimidating for those who may not be familiar with the context in which a piece was made.

For centuries, artists have been striving to represent what was real and to do so in the most realistic way possible. The expressionist movement that followed aimed to express feelings and ideas rather than tangible representations. This philosophy is particularly relevant when considering the relationship between cars and art. Many people believe that art cannot be practical or serve any purpose other than itself. Since cars have a function, transportation, it can be argued that they cannot be art.

However, this notion is no longer accurate, as art design and technology were considered two separate fields until the Bauhaus school of functional design emerged in 1919 Germany. The Bauhaus believed in uniting art design and technology, seeking to bring creativity hand-in-hand with manufacturing. The artists at the Bauhaus were afraid that art would lose its place in society if it became too commercialized. To combat this, they set out to create everyday objects that were not only functional but also beautiful.

The wooden chair is a prime example of this philosophy. Initially considered boring and lacking artistic merit, the Bauhaus students transformed it into a work of art through their attention to craftsmanship and design. They created chairs like the cantilever and Vasily chairs that evoke a sense of modernity and progress. This is not about chairs specifically but rather about cars.

The first cars were far from aesthetically pleasing, but as they gained popularity and became status symbols, artists began to contribute their skills to create vehicles that were both functional and beautiful. A 1932 Alfa Romeo Six showcases this perfect blend of artistry and functionality. The utilitarian design elements such as the fenders, headlights, and running boards serve a purpose while also making the car visually appealing.

The world of collector cars is a fascinating comparison to the world of fine art. People like Ralph Lauren and Jay Leno collect rare and valuable cars, often with the same passion and dedication that collectors approach paintings by Monet or Goya. These super-valuable cars are highly collectible due to their rarity, much like those paintings. The value lies not only in the car itself but also in its history, craftsmanship, and the story behind its creation.

The Ferrari 250 GTO is a prime example of this concept. With its sleek design and rich history, it's no wonder that this car evokes strong emotions in those who see it. Its beauty goes beyond aesthetics, tapping into feelings of love, lust, or admiration that are hard to put into words. The fact that Nolan, the speaker, says a Ferrari can't be art because it was created by a company does not apply here. Many artists had assistants who helped them produce their work, yet we still consider it part of the artistic process.

This brings us back to the expressionist thought that art is anything that makes you feel. The Bauhaus guys believed that things that did a job could also be part art. This line of thinking encourages us to look beyond the functional aspect of an object and see its beauty, emotion, or significance.

In conclusion, cars can indeed be considered art, not because they were created by a single artist but because they evoke emotions and convey human experiences through their design. Whether it's the sleek lines of a Ferrari or the classic curves of an Alfa Romeo, each car has the power to inspire and move us in profound ways. By embracing this philosophy, we can broaden our understanding of art and its many forms.

To explore more beautiful cars and learn about the world of collector cars, check out episodes of "Up to Speed" and "The Bestest." For more information on Donut Media and Nolan J Sykes, follow them on Instagram at @donutmedia and @nolanj sykes. Wear a seatbelt while watching, as you never know when life might get behind the wheel.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: encars and art have a complicatedrelationship art inspires automotivedesign and in turn these designs inspireart the two worlds are intertwined butthat begs the question can cars be art?I'll be the first to admit I don't knowa lot about art it's intimidating youcan find yourself way out of your depthif you don't know the context in whichthe piece was made and that's notexclusive to fine art that's music, film,sculpting, writing, high fashion andepisodes of up to speed defining artis something people have been trying todo for centuries and depending on whenyou're from you're gonna have adifferent idea of what it is untilaround the 18th century artists werestriving to represent what was real andto do it in the most realistic waypossible they kind of perfected that andthe expressionist movement that followedwas about expressing feelings stuff thatdoesn't have a tangible representation Ibring that up because the expressionistsfelt art was anything created with theintent to make you feel an idea a lot ofpeople have is that art can't bepractical that it can't serve any otherpurpose other than itself and since carshave a function transportation then itcan be argued that they can't be artbecause of that art and design wereconsidered two separate fields but thatall changed at this place the Bauhausschool of functional design back in 1919Germany the Bauhaus believed in unitingart design and technology they wantedcreativity to go hand in handwith manufacturing Bauhaus artists wereafraid of art losing its place insociety and sought to bring it back bymaking things you see every daybeautiful take the ordinary wooden chairkind of boring rightwell the Bauhaus students thought so toothe wooden chair wasn't artful, it tookcraftsmanship to build sure but the endresult existed just to be sat on, so theBauhaus came up with the cantilever andvasiliy chairs you can sit on these toobut the design evoke a sense ofmodernity and progress the Bauhaus madethe chair say somethingbut this isn't about chairs, it's aboutcars the first cars were notgreat-looking but as the car got morepopular and became a status symbol theyneeded to look good and that's when theartistry came in just look at this 1932Alfa Romeo six see it's got utilitarianfenders headlights and running boardsthat all serve a purpose like the cars ofthe 1900s but they're done in such a waywhere you think damn that's agood-looking car you can feel thepassion put in to building it, almost as ifit was done by about how its artists itwasn't but you get the idea if you haveto have these features you might as wellmake them look good fine art is a greatcomparison to the world of collectorcars people like Ralph Lauren and JayLeno collect cars the same way peoplecollect Monet or Goya paintings thesesuper valuable cars are highlycollectible because like those paintingsthese cars are exceedingly rare takeralph lauren's bugatti type 57s seaatlantic a car he calls the mostbeautiful thing in the world only threeor four of these things were ever builtdepending on who you askand if Mr. Lauren ever decided to sell itthe Bugatti would probably go for aroundfifty million dollars but the Bugattiand other collector cars don't sell formillions just because they're rare orespecially pretty that's a big part ofit of course but like the paintings it'sabout who built the car and why thatmakes him so special cars like the 1962Ferrari 250 GTO it was designed to beatrivals like the Jaguar e-type and AstonMartin DP two 12, to do that it's designersculpted the body panels by hand andtested the shapes in a windtunnel the carwas built like craftsman with anexpressed purpose to win and it did abunch the 250 GTO won its class at Le Manstwice in a row and racked up victoriesall over the world it's a badass Ferraribuilt at the height of Ferraris FerrariNess it's basically their Davidthis particular 250 GTO set an auctionrecordselling for over 38 million provingthat like paintings people will pay ahigh price for car with a seriousheritage 38 million doesn't remotelycompare to the most expensive paintingever sold, Da Vinci's Salvator Mundithis masterwork sold for over 450million dollars last year will we eversee a Ferrari go for that much it'spossible I'd give it a few hundred yearssouth door Mundi was painted over fivecenturies ago but just because somethingis rare and expensive doesn't make itart does it mm not reallycollectors might treat their cars likefrescoes but that's not a good enoughjustification that called cars art notyet so if the ideas of functional artand collectability let the car flirtwith artistry, then there's one aspectabout them that I think really pushesthe car into real art territory andthat's emotion art has always been aboutconveying the human experience andexpressing it through different mediumsthe first art drawn in caves was anexpression of what early man wasexperiencing I think that in anexpressionist sense cars might be theultimate art piece yeah they'refunctional but like Bauhaus taught usfunction can and should have form justlook at your favorite car what do youfeel when you see it is it a Ferrarihell is it red that evokes an emotion itmight be lust might be love maybe it'ssomething else that's indescribable andin Ferraris case that's exactly whatthey want you to feel when you see oneof their carsoh but Nolan a Ferrari can't be artbecause a company made it there's nosingle artist bullshit tons of artistshad assistants that help them producetheir work Andy Warhol did it and thatpretty much makes it okay so theexpressionist thought that art isanything that makes you feel and theBauhaus guys believe that things thatdid a job could also be part that's acarremember to hit that subscribe buttonthe more subscribers we get the morecool stuff we get to make with youyou're the reason we do this andsincerely thank you for the support sowhat do you think our cars art what doyou think is the most beautiful car inthe worldI like the Alfa Romeo stardoll a 33 andFerrari 330 p4 those a lot cars prettysweet if you want to know more aboutbeautiful cars check out this episode ofup to speed and check out this episodeof the bestest because Tony is a coolguy followed donut media on instagram atdonut media and follow me on instagramat nolan J Sykes wear a seatbelt thanksfor watching