When updating the 1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme story I found myself lingering over the illustrations in Pontiac brochures. The images, which were produced by the legendary team of Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman, tended to be a cut above those used by other brands during the 1960s. But I wondered whether their approach evolved over the second half of the 1960s and early-70s or replayed the same themes. So let’s take a look.
By the time General Motors substantially redesigned its big cars in 1965, Fitzpatrick and Kaufman had developed a fairly consistent style for Pontiac advertising. Their bright colors and dramatic scenes continued to draw the eye and give the brand an air of glamour in keeping with its premium-priced market positioning. However, the cars had a somewhat less exaggerated lower, longer-wider look than in years past.
The somewhat more realistic proportions may have partly resulted from a public backlash against cars that had gotten too low in the late-50s and early-60s.
Another factor may have been GM’s shifting design approach. Beginning with its 1965 models, the big Pontiacs emphasized complex curves that didn’t look as good with extreme exaggeration as did the straight-edged styling of the past.
You too could have a hot night out on the town
In the second half of the 1960s an early-70s Fitzpatrick and Kaufman continued to experiment with night scenes. This resulted in more distinctive visuals while suggesting that Pontiac owners were affluent people who had sophisticated taste in what they did after hours.
The sun’s so bright you gotta wear shades
Fitzpatrick and Kaufman also continued to experiment with dramatically rendered skies in exotic places. Note the interplay of light and shade in each of the next images . . . and how companionship is highlighted.
Artsy color streaks set Pontiac ads apart
A frequent quality of Pontiac ads was the use of vertical streaks of bright colors. This may have been a simple artistic technique, but it single-handedly made the images stand out in a much more dramatic way. Note how different colors were used to create distinct moods in each of the illustrations below.
By the same token, each image told a story that went beyond showing off the car. I found myself lingering over these ads, both to enjoy the artwork and figure out what was going on. If a goal of advertising is to capture your attention, that suggests to me that these images were quite successful.
Even less-dramatic scenes emphasized affluent living
Other images were somewhat more realistic. Cars were frequently shown next to coastal locations such as boat docks.
Even less-expensive Pontiacs were shown in places where affluent people frequented such as art galleries and fancy restaurants.
Dramatic angles gave added visual interest
Fitzpatrick and Kaufman used a variety of techniques to make even utilitarian body styles such as a wagon look more stylish. For example, in the next image note how the bird’s-eye view of the car emphasizes the way light plays on the hood.
Another artistic approach Fitzpatrick and Kaufman sometimes used was to place the car on a steeply sloping road above a coastline. In addition to increasing visual interest, this implied that Pontiacs had plenty of hill-climbing power.
Was a shift in approach needed in the 1970s?
Fitzpatrick and Kaufman’s illustrations were primarily used on advertising for Pontiac’s full-sized cars up through 1971. The next year the division switched to photographs. One might argue that they worked better with the more “realistic” sensibility of the 1970s.
Indeed, I have suggested that the Firebird’s styling tended to be better captured with photos (go here for further discussion). Even so, something was lost when Pontiac moved away from Fitzpatrick and Kaufman’s artwork.
Even the best photography can be less visually captivating than a top-notch illustration. And perhaps just as importantly, Pontiac’s photo-oriented ads in the years ahead tended to display little, if any, narrative that associated the full-sized Pontiac with an aspirational lifestyle. It was just another car.
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ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Pontiac (1966)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Pontiac (1961, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)
Fitzpatrick’s and Kaufman’s illustrations even made the less-than-gorgeous 1971 Pontiacs look desirable ! At old-line Pontiac dealers (like Hedges in Indianapolis), the Fitzpatrick and Kaufman artwork on the walls made the showrooms look very special in a way that most other car dealer showrooms did not.
One other thought about the Fitzpatrick and Kaufman illustrations: Did any other vehicle’s advertising make four-door pillared-sedans look aspirational ?
Pontiacs from that era are some of the most striking and stylish cars of any time My dad had a 1967 Bonneville 4 door hardtop silver with a black vinyl top. A beautiful car, our family’s first with A/C and power windows I loved the speed monitor that would buzz at a set speed.
My Father was a Pontiac man. Made a big mistake on a Ford one time. However. I loved the Pontiac ads,they literally moved you to the settings they were placed. Aspirational as one comment noted
I’m a graphic designer by training and part of my training included several illustration classes in which we had to emulate different styles of illustration. During this time is when I became familiar with Van Kaufman and Art Fitzpatrick style. I had seen the ads as a child, but was not cognizant of how the ads were produced. By the time I was in university, this style of advertising had long seen it’s day, but the ads remained visually interesting. We studied techniques used to create the backgrounds and different ways to change the proportion and perspective of the cars or other objects in the ads.
In the early 80’s there was an article in Old Cars Weekly (IIRC) that took an in-depth look at the Van and Fitz years. I came to find out that Art Fitzpatrick did the cars and Van Kaufman did the backgrounds, which was a revelation to me. After having done some illustrations on my own, I realized I was seeing two different styles blended together into one canvas. Once I had that nugget of information, it all made sense.
As my career has unfolded, my illustration skills were rarely in demand and with the advent of artificial intelligence enhanced software, there may be less of a need for illustrators. However, I find it hard to believe we will ever exceed the technical and artistic excellence these two men delivered.
Here’s a good review of their work: https://driventowrite.com/2021/03/11/art-fitzpatrick-van-kaufman-pontiac-artwork/
Thank you for the background — and the link. The Drive to Write story is well worth a read. My ambitions with the above piece were modest in comparison. I was feeling burned out with writing so wanted to enjoy some artwork.
And some tried to imitate the style of Kaufman and Fitzpatrick, like the 1965 full-size Mercury line-up
https://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Mercury/1965%20Mercury/1965%20Mercury%20Full%20Line%20-%20Rev/index.html and the 1968 Dodge Monaco. https://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Dodge/1968_Dodge/1968%20Dodge%20Monaco/index.html
Still, there’s sometimes I wonder if it was “AF VK” who did the illustrations showing the 1967 Canadian Pontiac line-up? https://oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/GM-Canada/Pontiac/1967-Pontiac-Prestige-Brochure-Cdn/index.html
The illustrations of the ’67 Canadian Pontiac prestige brochure are not the work of AF/VK. The backgrounds are not nearly detailed enough. Having worked for Chrysler Canada’s former ad agency, I can assure you that far lower-priced talent was employed to do the Canadian Pontiac illustrations.
My Uncle had a 1967 Bonneville 455 V8 frost green and black interior power everything.
My cousin and I would take that beautiful boat out on back roads and lay patches of smoking rubber.
As a 17 year old I was amazed of the raw power that big 455 V8 put out.
TP stopped by to say, “No 68 grandprixs.”
This story wasn’t intended to offer a comprehensive overview of full-sized models, but rather to present the most noteworthy ad images. The illustrations of the 1968 Grand Prix struck me as not breaking any new ground. In addition, all of the ones I have access to have a center-spread fold that undercut the quality of the images.
You said it very concisely, Steve: “…Pontiac’s photo-oriented ads in the years ahead tended to display little, if any, narrative that associated the full-sized Pontiac with an aspirational lifestyle. It was just another car.” Kaufmann & Fitzpatrick, through their artistry, were the original builders of “excitement” at Pontiac. Check out the link to this book by Rob Keil, which would be the definitive work on AK/VF:
https://robkeil.com/art-fitzpatrick-van-kaufman