Illustrating our memories
Century in 65 feet
by marcia danner
A spectacular mural that celebrates the impact of the motor vehicle on the world's cultures virtually surrounds the visitors entering the Dedication Center of the new Automotive Hall of Fame. The 12-foot- high, 65-foot- long painting is the work of Maine artist and former car designer John Gable.
"We believe the mural is the largest single piece of automotive fine art since the creation of the auto industry paintings by Diego Rivera at the Detroit Institute of Arts in the 1930's," says Hall of Fame President Gene McKinney. While the Rivera frescoes present a larger-than-life view of man and machine inside the auto plant, the Gable mural chronicles the development of the motor vehicle industry and its profound impact on humankind."
"The mural is a tribute to the people who pursued their dream of personal mobility and changed the world," says McKinney. "Rather than have Hall of Fame inductees' portraits lining the gallery, we wanted to show how the innovations and contributions of accomplished members of the industry advanced the field of transportation and improved our lifestyle."
The story is told through an assemblage of scenes that serve as commentary on motor vehicles' affect on society. From the invention of the three-wheeled Benz Patent Motorwagen in 1886 to concept cars of the future, the mural's images immerse the visitor in the entertaining history of the worldwide automotive scene. The emergence of the car culture is illustrtated by great grandpa's fliver stuck hub-deep in mud, a movie still of Laurel & Hardy confronting traffic, Norman Rockwell's depiction of the "Family Outing ," and college students stuffing themselves into a VW Beetle.
A wide range of vehicles from Jeeps and campers, to race
cars and hot rods, to trucks and motorcycles represent different eras.
Pictured are such auto-industry "firsts" as the world's first
car, cross-country trip, assembly line, motor car race, auto show, clover-leaf
expressway interchange, and drive-in theatre.
Elegantly etched in a "reader rail" of rich mahogany in front of the mammoth mural are the honored names and signatures of over 150 inductees, the principal focus of the Automotive Hall of Fame.
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left: Former General Motors
designer and muralist
John Gable created the Dedication Center's massive mural that contains intricate and colorful scenes associated with the past 100-plus years of motoring and the global motor vehicle industry's impact on the lives and cultures of people around the world. |
"The mural is more than a chronology of the growth of U.S., European and Asian automakers, or even an overview of styling and technological changes: "It's a testament to our love affair with the automobile," says Gable, the Woolwich, Maine artist who painted the mural at his coastal home studio. "My objective was to present images that all visitors could relate to and weave those scenes into a flowing presentation."
Gable, 53, fulfilled his boyhood dream of becoming a
car designer when he joined General Motors in 1966 and became a member
of the design team for the 1975 Cadillac Seville and the 1982 Firebird.
When a promotion to assistant chief designer at Pontiac removed him
from much of the hands-on design work, he took up painting as a creative
outlet. After 13 years in the auto industry, he left Detroit for the
idyllic life of a full-time artist on the Maine coast.
click here to see more of this mural