LET'S ALL HEAR IT FOR "WILLIAM HEATH ROBINSON"!
I would just like to spend a little time and space here to share some of my appreciation of one of the finest early twentieth-century British artists who seems to get very little recognition these days… “WILLIAM HEATH ROBINSON”.
His illustrious contemporaries… Arthur Rackham, Aubrey Beardsley and Edmund Dulac… are still part of our historic artistic culture. But Heath Robinson, arguably the greatest of them all, seems to have been forgotten and neglected. Quoting the Heath Robinson Trust website…
“In the 1930s Heath Robinson was known as "The Gadget King" and he is still most widely remembered for his wonderful humorous drawings. But humorous art was only his third choice of career, and one that he turned to almost by accident. On leaving the Royal Academy Schools in 1895 his ambition was to become a landscape painter. He soon realized that such painting would not pay the bills, so he followed his two older brothers into book illustration. He rapidly established himself as a talented and original practitioner in his chosen field, and in 1903 felt sufficiently secure to marry.”
In fact, William Heath Robinson’s fame really began in 1902 when he wrote and illustrated his first, amazing “Adventures of Uncle Lubin” children’s book. He didn't intend publishing the book... which was actually a private project created and dedicated to his beloved neice Bay... but when he was finally convinced to release it, it became a huge publishing success that lasted for well over 60 years! (Indeed, the book is still in circulation today... as well as many other WHR art and illustration books.) 'Uncle Lubin' started an entirely new career for him, as illustrator and humorist, which was certainly not short-lived at the time. Indeed, he became so famous that he attracted an almost ‘rock star’ popularity amongst both artists and the general public, which remained until his death in 1944. So famous was he... especially as a result of the amazing and absurd contraptions that he designed and illustrated (actually starting these a full decade or so before his more famous and yet less artistically talented American imitator, Rube Goldberg)... that he became the first person ever to have his name feature in the Oxford English Dictionary during his lifetime… defining that a ‘Heath Robinson’ was effectively an absurd or ridiculous contraption that was created in the style of that artist who created them.
To be honest, I did try to encourage an interest in Heath Robinson’s work a number of years ago by creating a short promotional film of his incredible range of work. In the UK at the time the ‘Heath Robinson Trust’ was sponsoring a touring exhibition of his work, which was proving immensely successful. I had therefore assumed that there would be a similar great interest in this, here the USA… specifically on the west coast when I now live and work. However, although I sent a disk copy of the film to all the significant galleries up and down the west coast, I didn’t even receive one single response to any of my enquiries!
Not daunted though, I would now like to share a little of Heath Robinson’s fabulous work with you here, by screening below a copy of that unappreciated promotional piece. I apologize for the ‘green glitches’ that appear from time to time throughout the film… a product of time and faulty software I’m afraid. However, hopefully they won’t distract you too much from the wonderful, extensive work that Heath Robinson was responsible for during his lifetime?
Actually, if you look hard enough you will see original film footage from a pilot film I once created to promote a movie idea I had… “Screwloose”… a fantasy adventure that embraced Heath Robinson’s life and work. The really astute amongst you will recognize a young David Thewlis playing the role of WHR, prior to his going on to hugely successful acting career, culminating recently as the (coincidentally named) 'Remus Lupin' character in the 2007 "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" movie. The pilot was co-produced by myself and Simon Channing-Williams, esteemed producer of director Mike Leigh. Sadly, I never did get that movie off the ground either, despite such illustrious individuals being part of the production!
Anyway, it appears that the world is just not ready for anything ‘Heath Robinson’ just yet. However, I share this film with you nevertheless, in the hope that my enthusiasm for this great, great artist will rub-off on you a little too.
(Oh, and by the way… the phone number and email address indicated at the end of the film are NO LONGER ACTIVE!)
Tony. :^{)}=-
His illustrious contemporaries… Arthur Rackham, Aubrey Beardsley and Edmund Dulac… are still part of our historic artistic culture. But Heath Robinson, arguably the greatest of them all, seems to have been forgotten and neglected. Quoting the Heath Robinson Trust website…
“In the 1930s Heath Robinson was known as "The Gadget King" and he is still most widely remembered for his wonderful humorous drawings. But humorous art was only his third choice of career, and one that he turned to almost by accident. On leaving the Royal Academy Schools in 1895 his ambition was to become a landscape painter. He soon realized that such painting would not pay the bills, so he followed his two older brothers into book illustration. He rapidly established himself as a talented and original practitioner in his chosen field, and in 1903 felt sufficiently secure to marry.”
In fact, William Heath Robinson’s fame really began in 1902 when he wrote and illustrated his first, amazing “Adventures of Uncle Lubin” children’s book. He didn't intend publishing the book... which was actually a private project created and dedicated to his beloved neice Bay... but when he was finally convinced to release it, it became a huge publishing success that lasted for well over 60 years! (Indeed, the book is still in circulation today... as well as many other WHR art and illustration books.) 'Uncle Lubin' started an entirely new career for him, as illustrator and humorist, which was certainly not short-lived at the time. Indeed, he became so famous that he attracted an almost ‘rock star’ popularity amongst both artists and the general public, which remained until his death in 1944. So famous was he... especially as a result of the amazing and absurd contraptions that he designed and illustrated (actually starting these a full decade or so before his more famous and yet less artistically talented American imitator, Rube Goldberg)... that he became the first person ever to have his name feature in the Oxford English Dictionary during his lifetime… defining that a ‘Heath Robinson’ was effectively an absurd or ridiculous contraption that was created in the style of that artist who created them.
To be honest, I did try to encourage an interest in Heath Robinson’s work a number of years ago by creating a short promotional film of his incredible range of work. In the UK at the time the ‘Heath Robinson Trust’ was sponsoring a touring exhibition of his work, which was proving immensely successful. I had therefore assumed that there would be a similar great interest in this, here the USA… specifically on the west coast when I now live and work. However, although I sent a disk copy of the film to all the significant galleries up and down the west coast, I didn’t even receive one single response to any of my enquiries!
Not daunted though, I would now like to share a little of Heath Robinson’s fabulous work with you here, by screening below a copy of that unappreciated promotional piece. I apologize for the ‘green glitches’ that appear from time to time throughout the film… a product of time and faulty software I’m afraid. However, hopefully they won’t distract you too much from the wonderful, extensive work that Heath Robinson was responsible for during his lifetime?
Actually, if you look hard enough you will see original film footage from a pilot film I once created to promote a movie idea I had… “Screwloose”… a fantasy adventure that embraced Heath Robinson’s life and work. The really astute amongst you will recognize a young David Thewlis playing the role of WHR, prior to his going on to hugely successful acting career, culminating recently as the (coincidentally named) 'Remus Lupin' character in the 2007 "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" movie. The pilot was co-produced by myself and Simon Channing-Williams, esteemed producer of director Mike Leigh. Sadly, I never did get that movie off the ground either, despite such illustrious individuals being part of the production!
Anyway, it appears that the world is just not ready for anything ‘Heath Robinson’ just yet. However, I share this film with you nevertheless, in the hope that my enthusiasm for this great, great artist will rub-off on you a little too.
(Oh, and by the way… the phone number and email address indicated at the end of the film are NO LONGER ACTIVE!)
Tony. :^{)}=-
Sad that none of the galleries in the U.S. showed any interest in this. I would have travelled many miles to have seen this exhibition.
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Hi David.
Yes, I agree. I couldn't believe in their indifference. This is a wonderful artist with such versatility and imagination. I am sure the 'film'/'animation' community in the L.A. region would have flocked to see his work... as well as the 'games'/'software' industry artists in the Seattle region too. I guess we're in 'Nials and Frasier' territory here huh?
Tony. :^{)}=-
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