He was a Pro
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There are so many artists in Australia, both new and established, that
I feel their situation could be compared to the army of writers we have
in this country too.
My point is this...it is a lucky person that may call their dream or
their ambition their job, and luckier still if they can actually earn a
living from this passion.
But realistically, the 20th Century darlings of the Australian art
scene, well the ones that star at our slowly dwindling auction houses
anyhow, are where the big art bucks sit, however like the European
masters, these people, mostly men, although women are getting a little
bit of a run now, were penniless when they died, and now their pieces
are worth a fortune.
Do you think an artist should be able to enjoy his work and actually
eat as well?
One of our most recognisable Australian artists died this week. Pro
Hart is a name that most people know...but the knowledge of this
mans' name was not just because of his art, but also because of his
ads.
Pro Hart was born Kevin Charles Hart in 1928, and was nicknamed Pro
because of his remarkable talent. He received many important accolades,
and the most impressive was his admittance as a member of the British
Empire, awarded by the Queen as recognition for his service to art in
Australia.
He was schooled as an impressionist and his art represents the
character of Australia.
In 1950 he won many art prizes and was soon discovered by the Adelaide
Art Gallery.
>From this point onwards he excelled, and then not so long ago he did
those ads.
I thought they were great! An exciting way to advertise a product as
uninteresting as carpet in my opinion however, what did the art world
think of this?
He certainly was one of the lucky people, earning money from his
passion. I recently discussed the passing of this man with a lady who
works at one of the largest galleries in Victoria, and we discussed how
his art was already on the rise, monetarily that is, although she told
me her gallery curator always passed on the opportunity of displaying
his work.
So here, I go back to my argument of how we like to see our artists. Do
we want to view them as non-commercial and starving? Interesting,
considering just how capitalist the world has become. Even Third World
countries, well pin up ones anyhow such as China, are steadily becoming
the ultimate consumers. The top luxury houses are re-invigorating their
brands and premises to meet the needs of these label conscious
consumers. And in the acting world, these artists are stashing millions
from their product associations and advertisements, most I should say,
but not our Russel Crow. He thinks this type of endorsement from his
fellow artists is unacceptable. I wonder if he thought Pro Harts ads
were unacceptable too!
Let's hope Pro Hart's art reigns again, and on a purely commercial
level lets also hope carpet is never marketed without that exciting
flair.