It is really difficult to draw the line between architecture and art
What can be called true art in automobiles? Born May 16, 1948, in Turin, Italy. Graduated from the Polytechnic University of Turin in 1976. Major is aerodynamics. In the same year, he joined Carrozzeria Pininfarina in Italy. He has served as a development officer at the company. In 1991, he became the design manager of Centro Steele Lancia (Fiat Lancia). Established Fumia Design in 2002. Until now. His motto is “I am the first customer”, and he specializes in lean styling design that prioritizes functionality. Designed Alfa Romeo 164 and many other famous cars. His wife is Japanese and visits Japan almost every year. He is Enrico Fumia.
Where to put the line between design and art is very difficult. It’s very difficult to separate them completely. Since automobiles are industrial designs, they are made for mass production. Looking for a service that tows your car or truck for a long-distance mile? There is certainly an idea that mass production technology itself is regarded as art, but the true meaning of “art” will still be a rare item. I think there are two times when we think of automobile design as art. One is the era before mass production began. All of them were one-off, and all were made by craftsmen. There is the word Artigiano, which means craftsman in Italian, but there is also art at the beginning of the word, and it was also an era when technology was art. In that sense, the beginning of industrial products is directly related to art.
However, the industry changed drastically before and after World War II, and the movement of mass production was born after the war. With regard to automobile manufacturing, there is a trend in modern times to make the same thing quickly and efficiently by robotization, but in the meantime, the number of Artigianos with the title of art has decreased steadily. When that happens, even if we try to make automobiles a major art, it will be difficult in the era when mass production has become mainstream. Still, let’s dare to try to see the car as an art today. If the artisan is a one-of-a-kind item and it is the work of Artisan (English for craftsman), I think it will definitely become the world of classic cars. However, it has been about 30 years since the classic car was defined as art. There is certainly a tendency to think of cars that are more than 50 years old and cars before and after World War II as art because older cars are more valuable, but one measure is not only the artistic way of thinking but also the rarity. The value is also included. Another point of view. There are other possible reasons why the artistry of cars has become less visible as mass production has begun. For example, the sculpture of Pieta. Famous as Michelangelo’s work, especially “Pieta of San Pietro” has been made by other artists on the same subject. So why is Michelangelo the only masterpiece? This is because “who made these famous works of art” is linked to the value of the works. However, designers cannot see modern automobiles. That is what makes it less valuable as art. From my point of view, I can’t think of a car that can be called a work of art no matter where you look, from Ferrari’s top models to Toyota’s introductory vehicles, regardless of the value of the brand.