You may be aware, if you've followed my efforts over the years for Creative Weblogging and About.com, that design and architecture are among my interests and that I'm supportive of automotive fine art. It is my opinion that if an automobile is the subject of a painting or sculpture, it is no less deserving of respect than the horses, dogs and carriages that appeared in the works of the "masters." Indeed, art deco and the Bauhaus fascinate me. Should you be skeptical and require proof of the automobile's association with these themes, take a trip to New York and view the Chrysler building, a lasting monument to Walter P. Chrysler. So I'm pleased to draw your attention to the CAR ART gallery. When Lawrence Crane, editor of the elegant magazine AUTO Aficionado, described CAR ART as "perhaps the best automotive art gallery in existence" I sat up and paid attention. Larry was, and is, an award-winning art director as well as an accomplished writer.

After perusing CAR ART's gallery I, too, am overwhelmed. A typical example of the gallery's stable of outstanding artists is their newest addition (and fellow Canadian) Alain Levesque, whose painting you see here. Alain was trained in graphic arts at the Universite du Quebec in Montreal in the 1980s, created stunning posters for the Americas Cycling Grand Prix and for The 1920s: Age of Metropolis at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Levesque's fascination with automobiles began in 1988 after exposure to vehicles from the 1920s and 1930s, whose forms inspired him. CAR ART describes his paintings thusly: "The unmistakable style of Alain Levesque is a conscious revival of several European art movements from the early 20th century such as Cubism, Italian Futurism and Bauhaus. From these influences he has developed a distinctive, abstract interpretation of cars that is unique in automotive art."

CAR ART offers originals, limited edition prints, and posters. Any of which would make a welcome Christmas gift. A comment, however, from this critic: While extolling the virtues of the artists I found the site itself to be lacking in the very style it recommends. Simple, uncluttered, easy to navigate? Sorry. Meaning no disrespect to gallery owner Peter Aylett, who founded Car Art, Inc. after a 25-year career as an automotive design engineer, I'd suggest that even in our Net World, the store window is the best entree to the goods displayed within. Posted by: Philip Powell    Source

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