When I finish typing out this diary the first thing I shall do is pay tribute to Norman Anthony (Tony) Hart who died in the early hours of Sunday morning (GMT) the best way I know how.
By painting a picture.
Through this diary I hope to give those who did not have the privilege of watching his shows an inkling of the greatness of the man. To those of you who already know just what a legend Tony Hart was I hope this diary brings back fond memories.
Please follow me after the jump to learn about this extraordinary man...
Tony Hart may not be a familiar name to most of KOS, but to generations of Britons he was a much loved icon of our childhoods. Appearing in Children's art programmes for the BBC for nearly 50 years he taught millions of children to take pleasure and pride in their natural creativity. Many of them grew up to work in artistic fields such as media, web design etc.
His shows such as 'Take Hart' and 'Hart beat', which were also broadcast on Australian, Canadian and French TV inspired countless numbers of children to become aspiring young artists or to simply muck about with paints, chalk, macaroni, tin foil - whatever was to hand.
From 1964-1976 he presented 'vision on' a pioneering arts programme made especially for deaf children which quickly gained mainstream appeal due to its combination of accessible slap-stick humour and fast paced visual style.
This youtube clip will give you a taste of the show.
His warm and easy-going manner was complimented by his clear and precise explanations, so that you would always feel like 'having a bash' at whatever new technique you had just seen demonstrated when the programme finished. In short he was probably the best art teacher in the country and by teaching on television for so many years he reached millions of children.
Here's some youtube of Take Heart, showing Tony doing what he did best; showing children how to enjoy art. The clip also features the gallery and animations.
In this youtube video clip of the show Hart beat(from about 40 secs in) you can three more of the short simple and engaging animations which appealed to children and adults of all ages. Plus another snippet of 'the gallery' which began as a feature on 'Vision on' and became a regular feature on his subsequent shows. The video also shows Hart's co-presenter explaining the concept of 'orthographic projection'
http://uk.youtube.com/...
The Gallery allowed children of all abilities, be they toddlers learning to finger-paint or A-grade GSCE/O-level art students to have their efforts celebrated on national UK television.
The telegraph;
...at the height of one of his popularity in the mid 1980s, Hart’s request that viewers send in their own pictures to exhibit in “The Gallery”, a large wall showcasing their efforts, generated 6,000 submissions a week.
Fans of Wallace and Grommit can thank him for giving aardman-animations its first big break, producing animated shorts of loveable plasticine rogue 'morph' who featured in Tony Hart's shows.
Morph
Below are links to obituaries published in tribute to Tony Hart.
From the BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
From the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...
He retained a strong fan base as recent comments on his website's guest book demonstrate. Melanie Beck, 19, wrote: "I have loved art ever since I can remember and thoroughly enjoyed your programmes and books – what an inspiration. Thank you, tony :)" Miles Goodwin called him "a true hero and an amazing man". He wrote: "We grew up with Vision On and Take Hart and you are sorely missed."
From the telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...
Whether using paints, clay, textiles, foodstuffs or a cast-off object of almost any description, Hart had the magical ability to produce competent, entertaining pieces of work at impressive speed and in an unpatronising fashion. His avuncular, mildly eccentric manner made him the ideal host for children of all ages; ...
In a television career which spanned more than fifty years, the majority of them spent on the screen wearing his trademark cravat, Hart demonstrated artistic techniques both elementary and advanced while never forgetting his motto “Show them don’t tell them”.
Rest in peace Tony :(
Update
Here's an recent interview of Tony Hart for the B3ta website.
http://www.b3ta.com/...
When did you lose your virginity?
(TuffPirat)
I didn't lose it, I knew exactly where it had gone. Oh! alright, 1948.