Hanson, Duane

Hanson, Duane

▪ American sculptor
in full  Duane Elwood Hanson 
born Jan. 17, 1925, Alexandria, Minn., U.S.
died Jan. 6, 1996, Boca Raton, Fla.

      American figurative sculptor whose lifelike figures made of cast fibreglass and polyester resin and dressed in real clothes often fooled the public into believing that they were viewing real people. Because of its faithfulness to reality, Hanson's work is often categorized with that of the Photo-realist (Photo-realism) painters, who based their paintings on photographic images. Unlike the two-dimensional paintings, however, Hanson's three-dimensional objects, life-size and realistic down to the hair on their arms, are uncanny: they are simultaneously familiar and yet strange.

      Hanson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., in 1946. He continued his studies at the University of Minnesota and in 1951 completed an M.F.A. in sculpture at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Hanson taught for several years in Germany, where he met the German artist George Grygo, whose work in polyester resin and fibreglass had a great influence on his sculptures. Hanson returned to the United States and settled in Atlanta and in 1963 began his own experiments with the material. In 1967 he produced his first life-size work.

      Like George Segal (Segal, George), whom Hanson greatly admired, he cast his figures from life. Hanson chose his model carefully and then posed him or her in a manner that would best capture his basic theme. (His earliest work showed figures in midmotion, but he preferred the effect he obtained with static poses.) Hanson then painted the figures, adding such precise details as mosquito bites or varicose veins. Finally, he clothed and accessorized his sculptures, using props as necessary. Often he created veritable tableaux or mini-installations with figures situated in real contexts with real things.

      Hanson's subjects of the late 1960s included war, gang victims, and the homeless. Though he later tempered his political message, he continued to address the largely thankless roles of the working class—housewives, repairmen, office cleaners, dishwashers, museum guards, and janitors, whose bowed heads and vacant gazes reveal their boredom and exhaustion.

Additional Reading
Criticism and interpretation include Martin H. Bush, Duane Hanson (1976), and Sculptures by Duane Hanson (1985); and Thomas Buchsteiner and Otto Letze (eds.), Duane Hanson: More Than Reality (2001), and Duane Hanson: Sculptures of the American Dream, new expanded ed. (2007).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Hanson, Duane Elwood — ▪ 1997       U.S. sculptor whose life size, very lifelike figures made of cast fibreglass and polyester resin and dressed in real clothes often fooled the public into believing that they were viewing real people (b. Jan. 17, 1925 d. Jan. 6, 1996) …   Universalium

  • Duane Hanson — Born January 17, 1925 (1925 01 17) Alexandria, Minnesota Died …   Wikipedia

  • Duane Hanson — Nom de naissance Duane Hanson Naissance 17 janvier 1925 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Duane Hanson — (* 17. Januar 1925 in Alexandria, Minnesota; † 6. Januar 1996 in Boca Raton, Florida) war ein US amerikanischer Künstler. Duane Hanson war einer der einflussreichsten Vertreter der amerikanischen Bildhauerei und Begründer des Hyperrealismus im… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Duane (given name) — Duane is both a given name for a male, and a family name. In the United States this spelling is typically associated with white Southerners. It seems to have a convergent etymology from several sources. Many people may claim that one of the name… …   Wikipedia

  • Hanson (surname) — Hanson or Hansson is a surname, and may refer to many people.A* Alexander C. Hanson (1786 ndash;1819), American politician, Senator from Maryland * Alf Hanson (1912 ndash;1993), British football player * Ann Meekitjuk Hanson (1946 ndash;),… …   Wikipedia

  • Hanson — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Alexander Contee Hanson (1786–1819), US amerikanischer Politiker (Maryland) Andy Hanson (1932–2008), US amerikanischer Fotojournalist Ann Meekitjuk Hanson (* 1946), kanadischer Politiker Beverly Hanson (*… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Duane E. Couey — Presiding Patriarchs/Evangelist Community of Christ March 29, 1982 …   Wikipedia

  • Hanson —   [hænsn], Duane, amerikanischer Bildhauer, * Alexandria (Minnesota) 17. 1. 1925, ✝ Boca Raton (Fla.) 6. 1. 1996; Vertreter des amerikanischen zeitgenössischen Realismus. Er modellierte in Kunststoff lebensgroße, dem Modell minutiös nachgebildete …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Hanson — /han seuhn/, n. 1. Duane, born 1925, U.S. artist and sculptor. 2. Howard (Harold), 1896 1981, U.S. composer. * * * …   Universalium

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