Car Art in Many Forms
Rosana Hart

Ever since the first car was produced, it's been an art object as well as a practical device. We love to look at all sorts of cars. We care about our own cars and we are very aware of what they say about us and our tastes. A red sports car makes a very different statement from a gray van.

Why do we spend so much time and money keeping up the finish of our cars? Again, it's an artistic matter, perhaps a combination of pride of ownership with the knowledge that people somehow identify us with what we drive around in.

Car art isn't limited to just the cars themselves. There are many forms of art that use cars. Whether or not you consider advertising an art form or a nuisance, the many ads for cars -- or for other things but using cars in them -- are a significant part of the history of car art.

Another form of car art is movies. Films use cars in them, to further the plot of course, but also to make statements about who the characters are. A lot of the wild rides you can enjoy vicariously in a movie or TV show would not be fun in person! Well, they might be, but they are beyond the reach of most people.

Paintings and photographs of cars are another realm that people have devoted themselves to. You can most easily own some of these through the wide selection of car posters available. If you love the elegant lines of a Lamborghini or Porsche, you can have one on your walls if not parked in your garage.

Car posters cover many topics. As well as celebrating rare and expensive cars, there are posters that offer a humorous look at our culture, that show great moments in car racing, that outline the history of the Mustang or other cars, that reflect the Art Deco look of bygone times, that show good-looking celebrities standing by a car, and much more.

Rosana Hart is a reference librarian turned webmaster. Visit her site at http://www.infoandhelp.com/posters/ for a selection of popular posters and articles about their subjects.