Ah, a pristinely rebuilt, robin egg blue 1962 Mercedes-Benz. What a sight! I kinda wish my Dad had been into restoring classic cars. Kinda, but then again, kinda not. He was a handy guy generally speaking, but he also had a temper when things didn’t go smoothly!

I thought about my Dad and the art of classic car restoration on a recent trip. I stayed the night at my Grand-Uncle’s house, who rebuilds antique Mercedes-Benzes and the occasional Volvo. The jewel in his garage is this aforementioned 1962 Mercedes-Benz 180. When he drives down the road in this baby, people stop and take notice!

Fine Art and Classic Automobiles

I began contemplating how much time, effort, and skill he has put into every restoration. The mechanical knowledge, aesthetic considerations, historical accuracy…talk about fine craftsmanship! And it occurred to me, as has often happened, how wonderful other facets of artistic creativity are.

One of my graphic design teachers in college made a statement I’ve always remembered. He said something like  “the more you know about other types of art, the better you’ll be in your particular area of focus.” As a person who naturally enjoys learning and soaking in all types of knowledge, his pronouncement has always resonated with me.

So as I pondered the work and artistry that goes into restoring classic automobiles, my teacher’s quote came back to my mind. I believe that he was onto something. For my artfully-inclined readers, how exciting is it to see a piece that combines aspects from different disciplines? For example, a classic oil painting with the heavy line-work of illustration and the carefully constructed patterns of graphic design? Alphonse Mucha took something like this approach, and his paintings are quintessential masterpieces of Art Nouveau. Why, he basically defined the movement through his artwork!

From a 1962 Mercedes-Benz to Life in General

But after a while, my thoughts ran further afield, to slightly more existential musings. This concept of drawing from different disciplines in art seems to translate well to a broader perspective in life. It seems to me that a person who eagerly pursues knowledge and truth gains a significant advantage over you average Joe. This seeker of wisdom doesn’t default to slumping down on the couch at the end of the day and binge-watching Netflix. No, this person disciplines himself or herself to pursue what really matters!

On one day, this individual perhaps picks up the latest National Geographic Magazine and engages with the stories and statistics. Another week he reads a good book on philosophy authored by the likes of Søren Kierkegaard or C.S. Lewis. Then for a solid month she might devour present and past episodes of the Freakonomics podcast. Current newsworthy events, high school subjects that were slept through, Shakespeare plays, museums of history, science, or art…scrolling through the oil paintings on christianhemmefineart.com…our seeker steeps in the vast learning of the ages.

And maybe, just maybe, that person gradually becomes a better human being. Able to connect strains of thought from classical literature and modern science. Able to discourse insightfully on socio-economic reform and how it ties into philosophical worldviews. Able to better understand others. This step of understanding can foster empathy, compassion, and genuine love. In short, it can guide us to that most wonderful of all personal traits: doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.

A Parting Warning

One caveat I feel I must insert into my rather noble-sounding musings. I leave you with the words of D.L. Moody: “If a man is stealing nuts and bolts from a railway track, and, in order to change him, you send him to college, at the end of his education, he will steal the whole railway track.” In other words…if the heart is evil, then education only increases that evil. Learner: beware!

Question: Do you believe that being a well-rounded lover of learning yields benefits in art? How about in life? Let us all know in the comment section below!