Jon Gnagy (January 13, 1907 – March 7, 1981) was a self-taught artist most remembered for being America's original television art instructor, hosting '' You Are an Artist'', which began on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

network and included analysis of paintings from the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

, and his later syndicated Learn to Draw series. As of 1986, over fifteen million of Gnagy's drawing kits had been sold.Holston, Noel
"The Unfinished Work Of Jon Gnagy His Dream May Finally Be Realized Through His Daughter"
, ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'', July 20, 1986 The Philadelphia-based Martin F. Weber Company still manufactures Gnagy's drawing kits. Gnagy also worked on book illustrations including ''The Coit Fishing Pole Club Beginner's Book of Fishing '' and ''The Nature of Things.''

Life and career

According to his 1947 instruction book, his TV program ''You Are an Artist'' "had at this writing by far the longest run of any program emanating from the NBC television studios." His biography, published in the catalogue of ''An Exhibition of Paintings and Litho-Drawings'' (Idyllwild,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, 1964), told of his early life: :Jon Gnagy, known to millions as America's television art teacher, was born at Varner's Forge, an outpost settlement near

Pretty Prairie, Kansas Pretty Prairie is a city in Reno County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 660. History The first post office at Pretty Prairie was established in 1874. Pretty Prairie was laid out in 1889. It was na ...

in 1907. The pioneer environment of his first seven years at the Forge and family farm reflect a strong influence in his work as an artist. Son of Hungarian-

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Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

s, Jon early developed inventive skills common to rural craftsmen. At the age of eleven he began drawing and painting without instruction, winning sweepstake prizes at the

Kansas State Fair Kansas State Fair is a state fair held annually in Hutchinson, Kansas, United States. It starts the Friday following Labor Day in September, and lasts for 10 days. This fair is the largest single event in the state and attracts approximately 350 ...

in Hutchinson when he was 13 years old. Gaining attention each year at the State Fair as the self-taught "

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

" of art, his vigorous compositions of the American Scene brought him an offer from

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. When he was seventeen he accepted the position of art director with an industrial public relations organization in the Oil Capital, where he produced posters for the International Petroleum Exposition... Gnagy became well prepared for his role as one of the country's greatest audio-visual educators when television started beaming to the public on May 13th, 1946. His was the first performer on the first show the day the updated Channel 4 antenna (replacing NBC's old channel one antenna) was completed atop the Empire State Building. Since then the grassroots blacksmith's name has become a household friend to millions of people."Biography of Jon Gnagy"
(archived 2007) During the early part of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Gnagy taught camouflage techniques at the

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...

in Philadelphia.Adams, Val
"Art Instruction for the Masses: Jon Gnagy Combines TV Entertainment with Drawing Lessons"
''The New York Times'', January 20, 1952 On May 13, 1946, Jon Gnagy was the first "act" on the first television program broadcast from the new WNBT channel 4 antenna atop the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...

. Gnagy pioneered drawing on television in the United States from the early 1950s throughout the 1960s on his program, ''Learn to Draw'', and his popular art kits are still available. His son-in-law, Thaddeus Seymour, was president of

Rollins College Rollins College is a private college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs. It is Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institution. History Rollins Colle ...

from 1978-90.Thaddeus Seymour
Official biography from Rollins College

Legacy

Author and illustrator

Richard Egielski Richard Egielski (born July 16, 1952 in New York City) is an American illustrator and writer who has worked on more than fifty children's picture books, eight of which he authored. He received his education at Parson's School of Design. Career E ...

, in the October 2011 issue of ''BookPage,'' described Gnagy as his childhood hero, writing, "I drew along with him every week."

Selected books

* Gnagy, Jon, ''You are an artist; an easy quick method which has proved that anyone can draw. Drawing lessons for beginners.'', Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1947 * Gnagy, Jon, ''New Television Art Instruction Book'', Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1950 *Gnagy, Jon, "Learn to Draw with Jon Gnagy": Arthur Brown & Bro., INC, NY 1950

References

"Obituary: John Gnagy, Painter Who Gave Drawing Lessons on Television"
''The New York Times'', March 10, 1981
Jon Gnagy website
- created by his daughter Polly Gnagy Seymour

External links

The JON GNAGY Historical Society; Dedicated to the memory, life, and career of America's Art Teacher

A 60th Anniversary Jon Gnagy Website – Includes ten of Gnagy's "Learn to Draw" television lessons

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gnagy, Jon 1907 births 1981 deaths American artists American art educators Artists from Kansas Kansas City Art Institute alumni Television pioneers Mennonite artists

Life and career

Legacy

Selected books

References

Further reading

External links