Steampunk Art
Learn how steampunk art evolved by taking inspiration from 19th century sci-fi novels into contemporary steampunk paintings and wall art.
Steampunk Art
Steampunk art includes the kind of artwork which is created by aesthetically blending the essence of the industrial age instruments like cogs, gears, clockwork and machine parts with Victorian art form. Aspects of steampunk art and design emphasise a balance between form and function.
The Steampunk artwork style took inspiration from the Industrial revolution and Victorian era. The major source of power was steam in this era .The writers who hugely contributed to this artwork style were Jules Verne (Also known as father of science fiction) and H.G. Wells. Steampunk art stimulates our minds to create a form of nostalgic futurism. This allows us to imagine a future where technology never evolved past steam engines and tesla coils.
The steampunk art form provides artists with realms of possibilities combining fantasy with science. Advanced machinery is said to exist within a realm of fantasy here. Steampunk art is actually a hybrid form of art which combines science fiction with other genres of art like fantasy, horror, animation, history etc.
By combining Victorian-style aesthetics with Steampunk style, emerging artists have extended the life of Steampunk by giving it an artistic movement. Steampunk artists have combined their own natural style with that of Steampunk elements (steam-powered automatons, Victorian settings, gears and springs, brass and steel, etc) to create some inspiring artwork for the world to cherish.
Evolution of Steampunk art
Print (c. 1902) by Albert Robida showing a futuristic view of air travel over Paris in the year 2000 as people leave the opera
The literary origins of steampunk art are sometimes associated with the cyberpunk genre. However, steampunk works are set in an alternative history of the Victorian Era (or the American “Wild West”) and a futuristic fantasy world both having steam power in mainstream use.
Steampunk art style adopts the style of 19th century scientific romance novelist’s like Jules Verne’s (“Journey to the center of the earth”,”Around the world in 80 days”, “From the earth to the moon” etc.), H.G. Wells (“The time machine”, “The invisible man”, “The war in the air”, “The war of the worlds” etc. ), Mary Shelley (“The last man”) and Edward S. Ellis (“The Steam Man of the Prairies”).
The first time Jeter coined the term was in a letter to Locus Magazine. Here is how he mentioned it “Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like “steam-punks…”.
Since the origin of Steampunk, the art slowly took a new form and slowly evolved into modern steampunk style with the help of science fiction writers, filmmakers and artists who dared to speculate on the development of steam-based technologies and alternate histories. The first use of the word “Steampunk” in a title was in Paul Di Filippo’s 1995 Steampunk Trilogy, consisting of three short novels: “Victoria”, “Hottentots”, and “Walt and Emily”.
Even though most Steampunk genre related work were published in the 1960s and 1970s, the term Steampunk actually originated in the mid 1980s. K. W. Jeter used steampunk as a general term to describe the type of work by authors Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates, 1983), James Blaylock (Homunculus, 1986), and himself (Morlock Night, 1979, and Infernal Devices, 1987). All of these works are from the 19th-century (usually Victorian) setting and imitated conventions of such actual Victorian speculative fiction as H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine.
Latest From Our Steampunk Art Blog
Steampunk Paintings and Wall art
When artists were introduced to steampunk style, they expressed their ideas and emotions in a beautiful two dimensional visual language. This led to the creation of some amazing conceptual steampunk style paintings and wall art. Steampunk paintings generally have a similar color concept which brings the classic industrial revolution style to these paintings combining it with futuristic technology. The main colors which are seen dominant in steampunk paintings are dark orange, pale pink, blue, orange, school bus yellow, cyan, pink, lemon yellow, violet, green and dark lime green.
Steampunk paintings allow us to visualize the Victorian Era as it never was. In these visuals, airships fill the skies and Cities are full of gas lights. Steam power is the main source of energy for machines which use gears and clockwork to conceptualize high tech future machinery.
Mad Hatter Cat Wall Art
This fantastic piece of handmade art created by Jeff Haynie. The tools used to create this artwork are pencil and digital art. This piece of art is available for all steampunk fans on Esty.
It is a Giclée print of one of his original paintings. The quality of the artwork is outstanding with great attention to detail.
This steampunk painting features retro-futuristic elements as imagined by the painter. Some of the most iconic of these are the Top Hat and the Goggles which are made of instruments from the time of the industrial revolution.
The color scheme of this painting is dull steampunk style, having grey, bronze and silver as the main colors. The tone of the painting is also similar to the black and white sepia tones found in the photographs from the 19th century.
View on EtsyUnderwater Steampunk Bar Canvas Print
This is a high quality canvas painting printed at high resolution using the latest state of the art color technology that ensures sharp and vivid images every time. The print itself is waterproof, UV resistant and fade resistant.
This particular painting is perfect to decorate your own room in steampunk style. You can also gift this painting to your loved ones this holiday season. The painting comes in a wooden frame and is hook mounted ready to hang.
This painting is available on amazon in a single size.
View on Amazon
Mechanical Gears Canvas Wall Art
This is a high quality printed artwork which is stretched to fit on a durable and shrink resistant canvas. This is a great addition to your living room or your drawing room if you are a fan of steampunk.
The artwork features a man looking at a huge futuristic machine which seem to be operated using large gears. The color scheme of this wall art is steampunk style bronze. The theme of this artwork is steampunk explorer style.
It is really easy to set up as it comes with a hanging accessory toolkit included. This wall art is available on Amazon in two different sizes.
View on AmazonSteam Engine Wall Art
This piece of steampunk art is inspired by the steam engine and depicts it in a futuristic view as a three dimensional model made up of gears and cogs.
A steam engine was a heat engine that performed mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. It was used in earlier representations of steampunk by authors like Jules Verne and H G Wells .The steam engine used the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder for motion.
This wall art is a great addition in your drawing room or living room if you are a steampunk enthusiast. You can check out more about this on Etsy.
View on Etsy
Steampunk Chameleon Wall Art
This is another beautiful three dimensional wall art which features a steampunk style metallic chameleon.
What makes this piece of art steampunk style is the inclusion of 19th century Victorian era elements like gears, gas pipes, vintage bells etc.
This wall art is available on Etsy for steampunk fans to avail.
View on EtsySteampunk Wall Art Signifying Love
This is a handmade steampunk wall art made using metal, paints and polymer clay. It is a great gift to give to your better half for special occasions like valentines day or anniversaries.
The artist Natalie defines this piece of artwork as a composition of love. She provides options to customize this wall art to include name, dates, etc. She also mentions that this wall art can be custom made for all kinds of couples.
Couples who are steampunk fans can avail this wall art from the Etsy store.
View on Etsy
Kitten – Acrylic Painting on Canvas
This masterpiece is a handmade piece of art made by the artist Janka L. It is a small acrylic painting on canvas which is a beautiful decoration for any home. It is a perfect gift for any cat and steampunk lover.
The painting is done on stretched canvas using Faber Castell acrylic paints and decorated with lovely clock wheels, wooden shoe and a key. The original painting is personally signed by the artist Janka L and is available on Etsy.
View on EtsySteampunk Style Piranha Wall Art
This is a steampunk style motorized piranha wall art. The artist has used polyester based acid free canvas. It is painted with high grade archival ink which does not fade.
This artist has used steampunk style elements, like gears, screws, valves, metal fans etc., to create a motorized piranha fish with wheels resembling huge gears.
This amazing piece of art is available in different sizes on Amazon.
View on Amazon
Steampunk Airship Canvas Poster
This high quality poster is made to order which helps preserve the color of the poster in best way possible. This canvas art print will look stunning on any interior wall. The poster is printed using the inkjet printing technique which produces illustriously detailed prints.
This particular canvas poster is available in a framed version and an unframed version on Amazon.
View on AmazonBlimp Canvas Wall Art
This beautiful piece of art depicts a post apocalyptic steampunk style. The artist has transformed a Victorian era ship in to a flying futuristic blimp with helicopter like wings.
It is made by using a high quality Giclée printing process which guarantees incredible detail, phenomenal quality, and vibrant colors. The ink used is high quality, environment friendly and waterproof.
This wall art is a great addition in the homes of steampunk fans and can be purchased at Amazon.
View on Amazon
3D Metallic Fish Wall Art
The artist has used amazing innovation to create this steampunk art. He has created a three dimensional fish using junk materials like gears, old keys, screws, wood and metallic ornaments. This wall art can be a great gift for steampunk enthusiasts who will surely admire its beauty.
The metallic fish wall art can be availed from the Etsy Shop.
View on EtsySteampunk Cthulhu Painting
This is a painting of Cthulhu, a gigantic entity in the shape of an octopus, a dragon and a human, in steampunk style. The original painting was featured in the Naked Art Gallery’s 20th Anniversary show.
This painting imagines Cthulhu as steampunk styled version of the original entity with gear like tentacles and Victorian goggles.
A giclée copy print of the original painting is available in two different sizes on Etsy. This art is printed on heavyweight bright white non-glare matte presentation paper. It uses Ultra Chrome HD ink which utilizes newly developed core pigment to achieve a super smooth finish.
View on Etsy
Steampunk Style Mixed Media Canvas Art
This is steampunk style canvas art masterpiece made using mixed media technique which depicts a lady wearing an armored helmet. The helmet is designed innovatively with gears, chains, bolts, laces, small keys and other small metallic instruments.
The artist has painted on multiple layers to achieve a 3D effect on canvas. The colors that are most prevalent are: black, green and bronze. The base and background is painted using high quality acrylic paints.
Steampunk fans can check this item out on the Etsy store.
View on EtsyAbstract Mixed Media Steampunk Style Canvas Art
This is an unusual, unique, interesting and extraordinary steampunk style attraction. It is hand made using metallic instruments from the Victorian era. Some of the materials used are old alarm clocks, metal, spare parts, chain-lets, fasteners, gears and wood.
It is an abstract art which will fit in any steampunk style loft. It can be a great piece of decoration on the wall and also makes a great gift for steampunk fans.
The artist Natalie offers this piece of art for sale on the Etsy Shop.
View on Etsy
Sea Turtle 3D Wall Art
This is another amazing piece of steampunk wall art by the artist Natalie. It is a handmade 3D turtle made using metal, spare parts, parts of old vintage watches, chainlets, fasteners, gears and wood. It has a metallic bronze color scheme which is particular to the steampunk genre
The turtle, also known as the protector of the house, is a symbol of wisdom, health, longevity, and wealth. So this decoration could be a meaningful part of your interior.
Steampunk fans can buy this wall art from Etsy.
View on EtsySteampunk Metallic Owl Wall Art
This is an industrial steampunk style 3D metallic painting of an owl created by the artist Andrey. It is made by hand using junk materials, wood and steel parts.
The artist has used the combination of steampunk aesthetics with his own innovative design to come up with this brilliant piece of art. Small common metallic instruments like gears, forks, spoon handles bells etc. have been cleverly put together in the shape of a beautiful 3D owl.
Andrey has listed this wall art for sale on Etsy for steampunk enthusiasts.
View on Etsy
Steampunk Cardinal Bird Painting
This is an authentic original piece of art created by the artist Igor Melnichenko. It depicts a retrofuturistic version of the cardinal bird which has gears, cogs and gas valves as its internal organs.
Cardinal birds are a representation of devotion, loving relationships, courtship, and monogamy above everything else in the Native American folklores.
Some tribes thought cardinals to be the harbinger of rain, other tribes, like the southeastern tribe, associated good fortune and sun with them.
This artwork is a great gift for steampunk enthusiasts to give to their loved ones on any occasion. It can be availed on the Etsy store.
View on Etsy