Kevin Charles "Pro" Hart,

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(30 May 192828 March 2006), was an Australian artist, born in Broken Hill,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, who was considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback. He grew up on his family's sheep farm in

Menindee Menindee (frequently but erroneously spelled "Menindie" ) is a small town in the far west of New South Wales, Australia, in Central Darling Shire, on the banks of the Darling River, with a sign-posted population of 980 and a population of 551. ...

and was nicknamed "Professor" (hence "Pro") during his younger days, when he was known as an inventor.

Art styles

Hart typically painted with oils or acrylics, using paint brushes and sponges, and depict scenes of rural town life, nature, topical commentary, and some religious subjects. His illustrations for the collection of Henry Lawson's poems show keen powers of character observation combined with an obvious wit. Hart was also a sculptor, working with welded steel, bronze and ceramics. Pro Hart was known for his novel techniques including "cannon painting" and "balloon painting", and in 2002 was using his own DNA as a mark of authenticity in his paintings. Retrospective application of a DNA mark is available for older Pro Hart paintings. An example of the Pro Hart Cannon painting was when a commercial on television was shown for stain resistant carpet, covering the entire carpet with his unique painting style. For most of his career Hart was dismissed by many critics as a mere showman, with his art often judged as populist and derivative, and not good enough for serious critical attention. Barry Pearce, the head curator of Australian art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales said that comparing Hart with the artists whose work normally hangs in the gallery was "rather like

Slim Dusty Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars ...

being compared to Mozart". Hart considered his critics to be a part of the "art mafia" and noted that he achieved his success without any help from the arts establishment.

Beliefs

He frequently addressed political themes in his artwork. When asked about this subject, he stated "If I said what I thought sometimes, I might get sued so I paint to show what is going on, to bring out the truth and make people aware". The painting ''Aboriginal Land Rights'' is from Pro Hart's "masks" period. This painting highlights his conspiracy ideas with regards to

land rights Land law is the form of law that deals with the rights to use, alienate, or exclude others from land. In many jurisdictions, these kinds of property are referred to as real estate or real property, as distinct from personal property. Land use a ...

. The scene has a map of Australia with the Aboriginal Flag over the top. The people in the background "playing the communist cards" have

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...

logos on their ties. In the foreground are a group of Aboriginal people, perhaps negotiating their rights.

Pastimes

He collected vintage cars and motor cycles, and invented many kinds of engines and machines. He enjoyed pistol shooting, reading the Bible, and organ music. He was the proud owner of a

Rodgers Rodgers is a patronymic surname of Old English origin derived from the Norman personal name "Roger", with the addition of the genitive suffix "-s" and meaning “son of Roger.” The intrusive “d” in Rodgers is either a Welsh or Scottish ...

electric pipe organ, which was said to be the largest of its kind in Australia. This was installed in his gallery, a step which considerably enhanced its value as a Broken Hill

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

attraction.

Awards

He was made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1976. In 1982 he received an Honorary Life Membership of Society International Martinique for outstanding artistic achievement. He received an Australian Citizen of the Year award in 1983, and was known for his charitable work and generosity.

Final years

Pro Hart developed

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most commo ...

. He died on 28 March 2006. He had been unable to paint for the last six months of his life. A large state funeral was held for him on 4 April 2006 in Broken Hill — the first state funeral in

to be held west of the Blue Mountains. He was interred in the Broken Hill cemetery.

References

External links

Artist Pro Hart dies
Australian Broadcasting Corporation news item.

Sydney Morning Herald
Obituary for Kevin Charles "Pro" Hart MBE
Obits.com.au - Australian Death Notices, Funeral Notices and Obituaries
Pro Hart GalleryPro Hart at Australian Art

Interview with Pro Hart in Broken Hill
from 1976 from the

National Film & Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national c ...

of Australia'
australianscreen online.The Hart legacy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Pro 1928 births 2006 deaths People from Broken Hill, New South Wales Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Deaths from motor neuron disease Neurological disease deaths in New South Wales 20th-century Australian painters