Is body working a form of art?

Do you believe that doing body working on a car is a form of art or not?

To me, really good body work is more art than science.

Same goes for painting.

Yes. Even after you know the technical means, it still takes that ‘touch’, ‘eye’, and ‘feel’ of the individual. You can positively see the difference in the work of two people.

I think to answer that, you’d have to define “art”. Certainly some body work people are artists, the ones who put some soul and passion in to what they do in order to make it something unique to them. Just the way that if I sat down in front of a canvas with a paintbrush, I may well not make anything that could be called “art”, there are some body work folks who are just there to collect a pay check.

I guess I’m a scab patch and metal tape artist. There’s also the training factor. Two or three guys in paint shop went to a body work and painting class. Their knowledge took them up more than a notch or two. All their painting was great after that. The kid bought an average Camaro and probably entered it in car shows when he moved back to NYC from the Great White North. Take off, eh!

I think of it as a craft.

Auto body customization I think of as art, the difference being that the craftsman recreates whereas tha artist creates from nothing. Both take talent and expertise, but of a different type.

I believe body repair and painting CAN be an art. A lot of it depends on the intregity/quality of the tech. It goes without saying the customs can be the work of artists.

This does not include the techs who are nothing but parts replacers.

I would call it an art but you could also say its a craft. I only do it on my own and for a hobby but there is the metal sculpture, molding the filler, etc. and of course the painting. A good part of it though is the feeling of accomplishment after its all done. Like making a piece of furniture.

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO IS COMMENTING AND GIVING ME DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEWS ON MY DISCUSSION…I KNOW ITS NOT REALLY ALL THAT CLEAR ON WHAT I MEAN.BUT YOU ALL ARE REALLY NICE FOR ANSWERING!!! I WOULD PUT A PICTURE OF MY TRUCK UP…BUT I DONT HAVE ONE AT THE MOMENT! HAHA.WELL YESS THANKS AGAIN!! AND PLEASE DONT STOP TYPING!! HAHA.

There’s a lot of art to doing GOOD body work. And I know for a fact that I don’t have it. I can do the mechanical…like replace a fender…but when it comes to making sure the body fill you put on matches the current lines or construction a new door skin takes someone with a good eye and good skills at crafting.

It sounds to me that you are trying to justify whether to call an auto body worker an artist or not.

I believe the answer you got regarding the difference between a “CRAFTSMAN” and an “ARTIST” is probably the most accurate.

Many individuals are competent mechanics and laborers. Few are truly exceptional. However, whether auto repair or works of art, just like art, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. What you may think is beautiful may make me toss my cookies. So the result of some auto body workers may look good to some but not others.

Would you consider the workers in the chinese clothes shops to be artists? They put out massive quantities of good shirts each day. No real difference between each shirt, because they are almost identical. Are they artists? No. But how about the clothes designer who thought up the design. Wouldn’t they be considered the artist?

Tough thought process huh?

You can throw out my response if you ARE an auto body tech, then by all means auto body repair is an art!

Take Off, Hoser! Eh?

Good answer. My wife is a potter and the “art vs craft” discussion has been going on around us for 40 years. The difference seems to be in the area of creativity and uniqueness. Art expresses the unique and personal creativity of the artist. Craft expresses skill and technique but is not unique or creative.

My opinion is that the repair of ho-hum collision damage is a craft and the modification/body work/paintwork of custom cars more in the line of art work.
I can do body work (seldom do though - hate sanding) to where it’s not even noticeable but I don’t even consider myself a craftsman in this area.
In the past I’ve done motorcycle custom work with raked/molded frames/wild paint jobs and one could consider that art work in a way.

I would consider my late brother in law both. He was a very good craftsman when doing daily body work. He could be considered an artist when doing car modifications for both himself and others in the custom car club he was a member of.
He owned a '50 Mercury in which he had chopped the top, channeled it, Frenched the lighting, shaved doors, etc. and it was a treat to look at.

Haha.no its okay i just like hearing from different people! thanks so much!