Retrofuturism

Description

Retrofuturism (adjective retrofuturistic, retrofuturist, or retrofuture) is a movement in the creative arts emphasizing depictions of the future as produced in earlier eras. As opposed to futurism, which is an artistic movement anticipating upcoming technological advancements, retrofuturism is the remembering of that anticipation. Characterized by a blend of old-fashioned "retro styles" with futuristic technology, retrofuturism explores the themes of tension between past and future, and between the alienating and empowering effects of technology. Primarily reflected in artistic creations and modified technologies that realize the imagined artifacts of its parallel reality, retrofuturism can be seen as "an animating perspective on the world". Read more ↗

Key Artists

Bruce McCall
Renowned Canadian-American satirical illustrator whose brilliant faux-nostalgic paintings of giant 'Bulgemobiles' and absurd mid-century technological optimism epitomized retrofuturism.
Syd Mead
Legendary 'Visual Futurist' and industrial designer whose sleek, neon-lit concept designs for 1980s cinema shaped retrofuturistic realism.
Simon Stålenhag
Contemporary Swedish master of retrofuturism whose atmospheric narrative art books place colossal, alien machines into melancholic 1980s rural landscapes.
Laurent Durieux
Celebrated Belgian illustrator and poster artist known for highly detailed, retrofuturistic reinterpretations of classic science fiction and pop culture cinema.
Arthur Radebaugh (Historical Precedent)
Mid-century airbrush illustrator whose syndicated 'Closer Than We Think' futuristic strips directly inspired the 1980s and contemporary retrofuturist revival.

Famous Artworks

Zany Afternoons (Retrofuturistic Monograph & Illustrations)
Bruce McCall · 1983
Alfred A. Knopf Publication / The New Yorker Archives - Illustrated book and gouache paintings
Oblagon: Concepts of Syd Mead
Oblagon: Concepts of Syd Mead
Syd Mead · 1985
Oblagon Inc. Publication / Concept Art Archives - Industrial concept paintings and gouache renderings
Credit: lukeford.net - CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
Tales from the Loop (Narrative Art Collection)
Simon Stålenhag · 2014
Free League Publishing / Global Digital Archives - Digital painting collection and art book
Metropolis / Retrofuturistic Cinema Poster Series
Laurent Durieux · 2013
Mondo Gallery, Austin / Private Collections - Screenprinted alternative film posters
The Last Dream-O-Rama (The Cars Detroit Forgot to Build 1950–1960)
Bruce McCall · 2001
Crown Publishing Group / Automotive Illustration Archives - Gouache and watercolor paintings

Fun Facts

The term 'retrofuturism' was coined in the early 1980s (with early print appearances in Trouser Press in 1981 and a Bloomingdales ad in The New York Times in 1983) to describe creative works that remember and reimagine past eras' anticipations of the future.
↗ Source: en.wikipedia.org
Unlike Futurism which aggressively looks forward to upcoming technological advancements, retrofuturism explores the tension between past and future by blending old-fashioned retro styles with speculative science fiction technology.
↗ Source: en.wikipedia.org

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