Our Gallery: Speed is Dieselpunk

Diesel Era was the golden age of speed records. Every new achievement instantly sparked a need to achieve more. The pace of progress was breathtaking: in 1900, 100 miles per hour sounded like science-fiction; by 1910, it was an already broken limit; in early 1920s, new sleek aircraft reached a 200mph mark; in 1930s, there were cars running at 300mph and floatplanes (yes, floatplanes!) hitting 400. Everything moved faster – not only automobiles and aeroplanes but also trains, passenger liners and warships.

On September 13, 1931, Flt Lt. George Stainforth in the Supermarine S.6B broke the world air speed record reaching 407.5 mph (655.67 km/h).

Of course, it’s not a world records list. Just a gallery for your entertainment and inspiration. But believe us, there is a lot to see!

 

Our Gallery: So Close to Reality

Today, we are proud to present Waldemar Kazak, an illustrator from Tver, Russia. Mr. Kazak is very active in the media. There are just a few dieselpunk-related works in his portfolio, but quantity doesn’t really matter: Mr. Kazak is a house name in the diesel crowd and his art is appreciated by the dieselheads all over the globe. Here are some paintings, in chronological order – from 2008, when his DeviantArt gallery was discovered by dieselpunk community, through 2012.

Monster House by Waldemar Kazak (2008)

Dystopian dieselpunk can be fun. It is possible to turn horror into a cartoon. And humor can provoke serious thoughts without being too weird or too bitter.

 

Our Gallery: The Streamlined World of Robert LaDuke

Only recently we discovered a modern artist who perfectly combines Diesel Era artifacts with today’s attitude. His artwork won’t seem out of place in a 1930s club or post office or gallery. But is it old-fashioned? Just well-rooted.

Swimming by Robert LaDuke (2012)

A short note from Bonner David Gallery website:

LaDuke’s narrative paintings are a combination of memories, dreams and everyday life, and as such his work remains open-ended. Paintings which tell a complete story from beginning to end are not compelling to him. He puts a lot of personal iconography into each piece, but does not wish to dictate a strict narrative.

LaDuke prefers viewers find their own interpretation of his work. Ideally, LaDuke’s desire is to paint works which create more questions than answers. Viewers are free to imagine multiple meanings in his work…

We can add something: Robert LaDuke’s post-modernism has a lot in common with 1920s and 1930s metaphysical art. The objects – all these aircraft, locomotives, skyscrapers, cars and trailers – are recognizable and realistic but the atmosphere is surreal, enigmatic, unpredictable.

Let’s open our eyes and turn our imagination on.

 

Our Gallery: Streamline is Dieselpunk

How do you like your dieselpunk – brutal, greasy and all-riveted or sleek, polished and shiny? No matter. Most probably, it will be served streamlined. Beautiful curves, shaped in wind tunnel, go well with any device of your choice – from express train to desktop radio.

1934 Chrysler Airflow and Union Pacific M-10000 'City of Salina' train

This picture was taken in 1934. First US-designed streamline passenger car and one of the first streamline articulated trains together. Both were inspired by aeronautical technologies. First and foremost, by airships – what could be more streamlined?

 

Our Gallery: Hot Rods and Other Beasts

Hot Rod culture has got a lot in common with dieselpunk. Both merge elements of the past with modern technologies. They share a dream of “the future we were promised” and break the border between fantasy and reality.

Lisa Rebmann aka LadyDeuce @ DeviantArt is a German computer graphics artist. She is very active in virtual tuning & customization – and drives a real 1966 Volvo Amazon (customized, of course). You are welcome to visit her website.

Here is a small gallery of her artwork:

Real Gothic Hot Rod by LadyDeuce

 

Our Gallery: The Fantastic Art of 600v

“One of the most beloved artists in the world of dieselpunk” – wrote Tome Wilson about a Russian guy who calls himself 600v on DeviantArt or ixlrlxi in his LiveJournal. We can add that he was also one of the first artists to tag his works as ‘Dieselpunk’.
A short excerpt from his interview published on Dieselpunks.org (2009): “I love the solid feel, reliability and natural sleekness of cars and devices from the 50s. Obviously nobody tried to save on rough stuff, and the beauty of the object was much more important over its functionality. Today’s things are functional, but they suffer from dystrophy, economy standards and overall design simplicity killed the beauty. “
And a few lines (from the same interview) about 600v’s creative process: “Speaking of 3D, first I build the image in my mind. I put the earphones on, close my eyes and imagine the basics of a future object. Sometimes I wave my hands in the process, like a Chinese Wushu master. It must look very funny. When the framework is registered in my memory I take a pencil and draw some basic lines – though this step can be easily omitted. The next step is work with polygons. My conventional drawing until last year looked just by the book – A4 sheet, a pencil and an eraser. When the concept takes visual shape, I scan the picture and colorize it with the Painter program. “
600v’s manner is unique, every object combining familiar real-world features with sheer imagination. You see it once and you’ll never forget it, no matter if the object is a zombie car, a sci-fi hovercraft or a streamline kitchen device.
Five years of work, admired by dieselpunks all over the world. Thirty-two images, published by the author’s kind permission. You can see much more on DeviantArt.

seventh by 600v (2007)

flycar3 by 600v (2007)