I’ve written before – probably multiple times – about a certain kind of mid-century automotive brochure art style that combines a very tight and controlled rendering method for the cars, but for the people and scenes around the cars, a much looser, more impressionistic style is employed. I generally like this approach, but sometimes I think it can go a bit off the rails, like I think it has here in this 1967 Chrysler brochure.
I think what’s happening here has less to do with the visual art style itself and more about the tone of how everything is handled. The artist is really leaning into the loose brushwork and heavy impasto, and that’s great, but in some of these images it feels like the artist is pushing it all just a little too far, and even more than that, there’s this strange overarching, almost sinister feeling to everything.
Also, some of these are just confusing. Like this guy, standing next to a New Yorker:
This one threw me. It’s quite dark and mottled, and I really couldn’t figure out what the guy is holding or what he’s doing. At first I thought he was maybe shoving a chunk of meat onto a long skewer? That whatever by his hand is pretty beefy-colored, and he’s looking at it pretty intently, like one does with a chunk of beef. Is he smoking? Or are those teeth?
Eventually I realized that’s a golf club of some kind, and the dude is, what, inspecting it? Pulling off bits of blood and hair from when he just bludgeoned someone with it? I’m sorry to go so dark, but this all just feels like that!
Look at that guy; he seems like he smells like bourbon and cigarettes and resentment. He has real abusive dad energy. I’m not getting in his New Yorker, hell no.
Even the more intentionally warm or pretty illustrations take on a sort of melancholy tone. Here, the flowers and people are quite nicely rendered, but there’s no joy here, only what feels like brooding tension. The couple isn’t really looking at one another, her head is canted down and to the side, and he’s behind her, fingers wrapped around her upper arm in a way that feels slightly menacing. Something is off here.
I really like the dramatic composition of this spread with the black shadows and angles and there in between is our fencing duo. Let’s look at them a bit closer. Computer! Zoom and enhance!
They seem to be lost in thought. Not exactly brooding, but, like most of the people here, they’re looking down, lost in thought. Who did she just stab?
And here, it feels like we have the 1967 equivalent of some Mean Girls, looking at you and judging. I bet they say some devastating things when they think you’re not listening.
Also interesting is how automotive terminology has changed a bit; this colossal Town & Country is described as a “3-seat Wagon,” which today means it seats three people, but back then meant three physical seats themselves, and in this case, massive bench seats. In today’s parlance, we’d say that thing was a 9-seat, at least. I’m betting a whole minyan could fit in there.
Okay, one last detail: these wrap-around taillights are fantastic and a little strange. Usually we think of wraparound taillights as just wrapping around the outer corner of the car to form a side marker lamp, but here these lights are on these extended protrusions and wrap around the outside and inside. This does help with being visible at lots of angles, but it’s pretty unusual to see now.
Man, I hope that dude with the golf club stays far away from me.
Did these artists progress to do Atari cartridge covers in the ’70s?
The club that golf guy is holding is a wood. (No snickering, you at the back!) If you’re a crap golfer, you might get mud and grass in the grooves on the impact face of the club and then need to clean it out.
Given the construction of the club, and the (presumably) dominant hand golf guy is using for the task, we can infer that he is left-handed and therefore sinister.
…from back in the day when “woods” were actually made of wood, not metal. c.f., baseball bats.
I said the same thing in later post. You can’t get all the crap out of the grooves that these all by itself. He’s probably worried about making the sale.
I am an excellent crap golfer.
My parents has a ’67 300. I’m pretty sure they weren’t fencing or golfing even when they weren’t shouting at each other.. .
I thought he was using the cut down pool cue in a sketchy bar
Based on his body posture, I thought he was playing violin, though someone needs to teach him how to hold the bow. It took me many glances to realize the bow is a handle of something….then realized one of those big fat golf clubs. (is that called a driver? OH! Driver – Driver? play on words?)
Pre-AI prompt fail. “Give me an impressionistic advertisement, showing a Chrysler car. Because the car is large and roomy, include a big fat Driver”
I thought he was attempting to play the violin, and failing
At first glance I thought maybe Impressionist Sweater Guy was playing “New York(er), New York(er)” on a violin at a strange angle. But, I think you’re right Torch – he actually went full Joe Pesci on some poor bastard with his 3-wood and now he’s making sure it will still work as intended for an afternoon T-time.
The three “mean girls” look like they are intentionally almost-Sophia Loren, almost-Audrey Hepburn, and That British Actress.
I’d take “how do we invoke Audrey Hepburn without paying for her image rights for $500, Alex “
Golf club guy is contemplating his poor choice in buying a club with such a short sort length for his height.
I finally saw the golf club but it felt like staring at one of those magic eye pictures.
I thought the golf club guy was reading a tape measure.
He is stabbing himself in the heart because he bought that car, which obviously has just broken down and it was brand new
Momentarily thought he was checking the oil dipstick, but came back to reality, as obviously he has others to perform menial tasks. His golf club wrangler must have had the day off.
Ha! I’m not the only dipstick theorist! I thought it was terribly long for a dipstick, though.
It’s definitely a golf club. Just over his shoulder is a green with a little white flag and 2 sand traps.
Wow – I missed that. I just figured he was a bit too formally dressed to bow hunt. But, was the ’60s… Now people wear pajamas out in public. Can we find a happy medium?
He’s dressed exactly like my grandfather would have been to play golf in 1967. Or 1977, for that matter.
Did not grow up in a golfing family. I dress like that now for casual events where a t-shirt and jeans are frowned upon. I also have a ton of quarter-zip sweaters.
My first guess was he was playing a violin, the “stick” being his bow and the thing in his left hand being the neck of the instrument pointed at a weird angle towards the viewer. But you’re right–the flag and sand traps make it clear it has to be golf.
Wow. Even after identifying it as a golf club, I didn’t pick out the golf scene behind him. Like, at all.
Ah, the glorious 1960’s, when you could just drive your 225-inch land yacht all over the golf course, instead of using a cart like some pinko who needs a shave and a haircut. And a job.
In the glorious 1980’s a friend of mine though it would be fun to drive his Dad’s Lincoln luxobarge on the golf course in the dead of winter. It was fun until he got it stuck in a sand trap.
That actually happened a lot in the 80s. There really was nothing else to do.
It looks like a driver or fairway wood of some sort. It would be more fun if it was the “driver” club being held by the car driver.
It’s pretty big for a wooden headed club, given the date it’s probably a driver. Sort of a meta inclusion before that was a thing.
The New Yorker must be his golf cart. Wonder what he drives to and from the golf course?
100% thought he was casually pulling an arrow out of his shoulder.
‘Tis only a flesh wound.
To me, it looks like a movie poster – I thought he was dramatically and methodically assembling a pistol the size of a rifle, from a sleek case, as was the style of cinematic hitmen back then.
That golf dude looks a bit like Robert Mitchum when he was in a bad mood, which was all the time.
I was thinking Martin Sheen, but Robert works.
I thought he was playing a teeny-tiny violin with a man-sized bow.
Playing the violin but holding the bow wrong was where my head went
Yup, I saw a violin player with lots of artistic liberties and odd angles
I also thought it was some type of violin-playing.
I can’t help but think that this is a bit of a reflection on the poor artist making these adverts. Presumably they have an MFA from a prestigious college and they obviously know their way around a paintbrush. I’m going to guess they only took the job with the ad agency to avoid disappointing their parents.
In scenario two the mistress just quietly announced “I’m pregnant.” Much hillarity to ensue.
I have lost a fencing match or two to women and I have never felt the need to strangle them from behind.
Well looking back at that illustration, that dude appears to have Kawhi Leonard-sized hands, so yeah, not the sort of dude you want standing behind you with hands at neck-level.
Maybe those are supposed to be gloves though? Sure hope so, lol.
One is def a glove, he has a very ruddy complexion, from anger perhaps?
looks like both have one hand matching their face tone, and one hand with a buckskin glove still on.
Much like I laugh at the apparent prevalence of fencing as an aspirational hobby in decades past, I have to wonder what my children will think of today’s marketing…
1) Where are these mythical traffic-less cities?
2) How’d that Corolla Cross make it to the top of the Sierra Nevadas? (this is common across all generations, ridiculous locations for cars that could never make it there)
3) Did all of you used to go scuba diving during lunch breaks or some shit? Why does every third vehicle ad show how much scuba gear can fit in your cargo area?
4) How did those two super-fit bikini clad people with compact SUV that has no roofracks get their surfboards there?
5) Did families really drive out into the snowy wilderness and find a perfect manicured Christmas tree just standing there in a clearing in the forest? And where did the hot chocolate come from?
Did they learn nothing from “Christmas Vacation”?
For number 2, I am sure Joe Isuzu drove it there.
(He’s Lying)
Right answer: The guy with the golf club is probably cleaning it, trying to get dirt or grass off the head.
My answer: That’s not a golf club. He’s at an archery range and seems to have hit a squirrel. He is trying to decide the best way to convince his wife to cook it for the children’s dinner.
An arrow was my first thought as well…
Same.
Legit thought this was an arrow that he was pulling out of a rabbit or something
“I’m betting a whole minyan could fit in there.”
A miniyan? Is that some sort of unholy offspring of the coupling between a minivan and a yam?
Yeah, there’s some real menacing attitude in all these pictures. Makes you wonder how bitter and resentful the Chrysler folks were at being in third place of the big three. Arm-grabbing guy: “Oh, so you’d really rather have a Buick, would you? I’ll give you real luxury, whether you want it or not – get in the damn New Yorker!”
I’m guessing you were just having fun with the term, but in case anyone coming later doesn’t know it, you’ll need it later when Jason reviews large vehicles 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minyan
Thanks – I totally misread that as “miniyan” 😀
Thanks for that link. I thought it was an oddly worded comparison to a minivan, but it makes much more sense now.
Golf club dude DEFINITELY is listening to Hip To Be Square…
Somebody else can explain that to DT.
I wonder what the 1960’s equivalent would be.
Also, I thought the guy was holding a tape measure before I clicked on the article, so I can understand why Torch was a little confused at first, even though when in doubt with an old brochure, assume golf club.
I also saw a tape measure but was wondering why he was holding it mid-tape.
Is that a rain coat?