Eric Fraser, 1981
For any of you interested in illustration there was a brilliant programme on Radio 4 today, presented by Peter Day, discussing the artwork used in the Radio Times over its 90 year life span. It’s called The Art of the Radio Times and you can catch it again here. In its earlier decades the Radio Times played an important part in nurturing illustration talent and featured work by illustration greats from Val Biro through to Peter Brookes. It was brilliant to hear Peter Brookes talking of the panic the commission caused, which would arrive on the Thursday and have to be back in by the following Tuesday. To see Peter Brookes’ political satire in The Times it’s hard to imagine him ever panicking!
Towards the end of the programme Peter Day asked the current Radio Times editor whether the magazine had the same role in commissioning illustration. In response he cited a cover by Peter Blake and another by David Hockney in recent years. There was no insight at all from him that, whereas the early generations of Radio Times art directors had taken talent fresh from art college he’d commissioned two well-established artists. How sad.
Anyway, do follow the link to the programme where there is a gallery of images from the Radio Times over the years. Two of my favourites are one by Stanley Herbert from 1934 called Whitsun Number showing a man walking through the countryside, and another by John Gilroy from 1936 showing a big cat chuckling away.
A quick note on birds: I have given up on the Song Thrush entirely. I think I’ll have to come back to it in the spring when they’re around. I just couldn’t get it at all. So, now we’re on to the Chaffinch. Simon Barnes in Birdwatching With Your Eyes Closed says that the Chaffinch got its name from one of the calls (“finch”) it would make when searching through chaff for seed on the threshing floor. Here is the link to their song. They are the second most common breeding bird in the UK so I should be able to get this one.
Also, I must tell you that I’ve finally got round to picking up Roger Deakin’s book Wildwood. I mentioned wanting to read it here. It is absolutely brilliant. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s just beautiful.
