In the 1980s, it became popular to depict sunsets as an orange ball, sometimes gradated, with horizontal lines across the bottom. This motif showed up in state license plates, corporate logos and pop culture.
The graphic trend faded out in the ’90s, but came back with a vengeance in the 2000s. Our hunger for all things retro brought about the so-called “synthwave” and “outrun” aesthetics, which mined the stylistic cues of primitive ’80s graphics technology. Initially this was done out of irony, but today it’s considered outright cool. T-shirt companies print retro-style T-shirts with the motif; digital artist sell clip art variants on the style; home décor companies make retro neon-infused wall art.
It was only a matter of time before it made the leap to an actual 3D product; Chinese lighting manufacturer Simig has capitalized on the trend with this pendant-style Sunset Lamp. While it doesn’t look great up close and in daylight…
…the effect becomes suitably pronounced when the ambient lighting and your distance from the object all jive:
The acrylic lamp is 30cm in diameter and runs $183.