Art vs. History
- Thread starter Old Henry
- Start date
Old Henry
Well-known member
Or, "The Broad Spectrum of Art". The Ford designers that created the aesthetic beauty of the original Fords were also "artists" and, when each new model came out, it was hoped that at least some customers would call it a "Work of Art". I think each of the original models was such and that, rather than recreating it, I have just restored the 1947 version of the piece of art.
So, each vehicle is a combination of art and history.
Vic Piano
Well-known member
Just to establish that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, here are two of the most expensive sculptures in the world:
La Grue, that sold for $19,193,000.00
Walking man that sold for $104,327,000.00
See any resemblance between these and "Rat Rods"?
Yes, I do see a resemblance, as each is an interpretation from the artists.
Weather building a Custom car, street rod, rat rod or fashioning a sculpture from ones "minds eye", they are all individual expressions. Restoring a car to its original condition is commendable however, in my opinion, it lacks imagination and completely sanitizes any individualism, to set it apart, it would be like Picasso taking a photo of a ****, instead of expressing it on canvas in his own way. We all know that the automotive aftermarket grew out of the desire to set your car apart from others and make your own statement. Art is everywhere and in everything, just as beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.I normaly don't weigh in on the Rat rod vs hot rod vs restored but oh well....
The term Rat rod just like many things in our culture has become overused and cliche'd
For any one that thinks that all Rat Rods are just junk thrown together with crappy welds and not enough money to paint, I would suggest visiting some of the RR sites out there. Most of these builders make their own chassis. The quality of the welding and workmanship is very high. Many are running very sophisticated front and rear suspensions. Many Fabricate their own parts and use very interesting engines such as Diesels and Propane fueled V-8.
And most of them start off sheet metal that most restorers would not haul home for scrap.
The fact that they prefer to not paint their cars should not be mistaken as a lack of ability to paint their cars.
Of course their will always be the ones that look like cartoons but that too is a personal choice.
We all have a reason why we like/restore/hot rod/ rat rod/ old cars. We all want something different than what everybody in this cookie cutter world has. I for one aplaud that
Now I'll get off the soap box......
Torchie.
Brian
Well-known member
"I don’t know much about history, and I wouldn’t give a nickel for all the history in the world. It means nothing to me. History is more or less bunk. It's tradition. We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history we make today." the REAL old Henry!
Jeff/Illinois
Well-known member
That thing doesn't even look safe to operate on the highway. I've seen plenty of these built by somebody who had no business doing this.
A certified journeyman- welder is always interesting to listen to as they examine these 'builds'!!!!!!
A certified journeyman- welder is always interesting to listen to as they examine these 'builds'!!!!!!
Gary in La.
Well-known member
I think TORCHIE said it best!
Old Henry
Well-known member
I told MAACO that painted it to match the original Monsoon Maroon color and this is what I got. It is very good paint as far as I'm concernced, especially for the price (but what do I know) but looks many different colors in different lights from chocolate brown, to maroon, to eggplant, to black depending on the light and time of day.
P.S. Thanks for mentioning the travel posts. I'll have a new one next week of driving "The Million Dollar Highway", an All American Road in Colorado.
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Old Henry
Well-known member
I haven't seen a lot of rat rods and most do look like junk thrown together to me but this one really was a work of art. It reminded me a lot of the vehicles in the old movie "Water World" that were, shall we say, improvised and embellished. It did have a custom made frame and suspension parts where they couldn't be seen. It had a very consistent theme that was followed faithfully throughout the vehicle both inside and out. The owner seemed to be a fairly competent car guy and said that it ran and rode as smoothly as a modern vehicle. I guess the best of both worlds - a work of art that was also very serviceable. Now I wish I had taken more close ups of it as it really was nicely done for a rat rod.
51 MERC-CT
Well-known member
Looks like a comedians bike ( meant to keep you in stitches ) 
Ross F-1
Well-known member
Old Henry
Well-known member
I think everyone loves some kind of art but the art each loves may be very different from what others love.
I had a client once that made stuff out of clay - pots, etc. He appreciated my work for him so much he gave me what he thought was one of his most beautiful pieces. For me, I thought I made something better in 1st grade. It was more of an "abstract" piece. I was gracious and swooned over it in his presence but hid it from all eyes, particularly mine, thereafter.
I love Wedgwood, fine China, and porcelain ceramics and other more traditional art but once in a while I find some interest, if not a sort of beauty, in something abstract like the very nicely done rat rod next to us Saturday.
When I was in primary school I used to love to draw things and was told I was pretty good but never magnified whatever talent I had for such. Now my "creative outlet" is photography such as I take on my road trips to share. Some love it and there seem to be some that hate it. To each his own.
I had a client once that made stuff out of clay - pots, etc. He appreciated my work for him so much he gave me what he thought was one of his most beautiful pieces. For me, I thought I made something better in 1st grade. It was more of an "abstract" piece. I was gracious and swooned over it in his presence but hid it from all eyes, particularly mine, thereafter.
I love Wedgwood, fine China, and porcelain ceramics and other more traditional art but once in a while I find some interest, if not a sort of beauty, in something abstract like the very nicely done rat rod next to us Saturday.
When I was in primary school I used to love to draw things and was told I was pretty good but never magnified whatever talent I had for such. Now my "creative outlet" is photography such as I take on my road trips to share. Some love it and there seem to be some that hate it. To each his own.
51 MERC-CT
Well-known member
I personally like all the road trip videos it allows me and others to view things that I probably will never get to see in person.
Speaking of photography, just a suggestion, in order to make photos more forum friendly (not so big ) try reducing size to 5x7x100ppi
per this example
Speaking of photography, just a suggestion, in order to make photos more forum friendly (not so big ) try reducing size to 5x7x100ppi
per this example
