Photo By Gail
Before gas stations became rows of digital displays and sleek, self-service pumps, filling up the car involved a little more mechanical theater. This vintage Economy Gasoline Pump is a striking reminder of that earlier era of American motoring.
With its bold red-orange body, decorative metalwork, dangling hose, and rounded advertising globe, the pump has the visual presence of an industrial sculpture. Its most intriguing feature is the glass measuring cylinder mounted near the top. On early visible-cylinder pumps, gasoline was drawn into the transparent chamber in a measured quantity before being released into the automobile’s tank. The glass vessel made the process visible to the customer, turning a routine transaction into a demonstration of mechanical precision. Continue reading Eye On Design: The Vintage Economy Gasoline Pump →
Photo By Gail
Edward Hopper’s 1940 painting, Gas, depicts an American gas station at the end of a highway — the subject being a composite of several gas stations Hopper had visited. According to his wife, the gas station motif was something he had wanted to paint for a long time. Hopper struggled with the painting, since he had begun to produce new paintings at a slower rate than before, and had trouble finding suitable gas stations to paint. The artist wanted to paint a station with the lights lit above the pumps, but the stations in his area only turned the lights on when it was pitch dark outside, to save energy.
Photographed in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
All Photos By Gail
I’m a little bit late to the party writing about this very cool exhibit, due to being busy doing other equally cool things. That said, you have until June 15th to make it to the Jonathan LeVine Gallery to see the Souvenirs solo exhibit from Portland-based artist Souther Salazar.
Souvenirs includes a series of new paintings, drawings, sculptures and installations, and it is very fun and totally family friendly. His art reminds me a bit of artist Jim Houser, whose work I also saw at LeVine very recently; in May of this year. Continue reading Souther Salazar’s Souvenirs at Jonathan LeVine Gallery →
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