Porsche Art: The Classic 356C

Recently I had the pleasure of creating a painting for this fine car’s owner in Geneva. The curved shape of the Porsche is a work of art in itself. Below is a quick photo-journal showing the art process. But first; a little history.

The Porsche 356 is considered a landmark in car design. It was the result of a simple idea by Ferdinand Porsche, designer of the VW Beetle: The 356 was essentially a reimagining of the Beetle as a sports car. (You can read more about the origins of the 356 in this essay by Betty Jo Turner).

Fred Heiler, writing in the New York Times a few years ago, summed up the simplicity of the 356:

Utterly dependable unless they have been severely neglected, the Porsches that preceded today’s 911 model are straightforward designs that a competent home mechanic can readily maintain. Nimble handling and responsive controls make them a treat to drive…..

The significance of the Porsche 356 is described by Jim Donnelly on the Hemmings website thus:

Immortal. A rolling altar at the midst of any automotive collection, a redefinition of the term ”sports car” that wears Stuttgart’s black, red and yellow shield. It’s an automobile that’s the absolute, unwavering success of uniqueness and unbreakable function. This is a historic Porsche, revered, reliable and absolutely recession-proof as an investment.

And Todd Fischer, also on the Hemmings website, says:

It’s an iconic car. Every Porsche built since its day has duplicated the 356C in some way. Even if you look at the shape of the rear window on a 996, I think you can still see a 356C there.

My Porsche art process

The first stage was to block in the shape of the car using several layers of gesso, sanding each layer down to get as smooth a surface as possible.

A work-in-progress photo showing the main elements filled in, without the detail.

Car art: Porsche 356C painting on wood — The final painting. Despite many layers of gesso and much sanding, the wood texture does still come through. This can be rather challenging for the artist, but it’s also what gives a unique texture and character to each piece.

You can see, in this Fiat 130 Coupe blog-post from 2020, a more detailed journal of the development of a car painting.

Go to my portfolio page to see more of my classic car paintings.