H. Craig Hanna

H. Craig Hanna
Born (1967-07-27) July 27, 1967
Cleveland, OH, USA
Nationality American
Alma mater Syracuse University
School of Visual Arts
New York Academy of Art
Notable work Carlos Sitting in a Clear Plastic Chair
Arrangement of Dancers
Awards BP Portrait[1]
National Museum of History and Art

H. Craig Hanna (born 1967), is an American figurative painter living in Paris.[2][3] His work was commended in the BP Portrait contest in 2001.[1][4]

The National Museum of History and Art (MNHA) Luxembourg, which hosted an exhibition of his work in 2016, describes his work with the following: “He reinterprets the history of European painting through the eyes of a master draughtsman and the unique viewpoint of an artist of his time by developing his very own technique (painting on Plexiglas) featuring striking colour effects and compositions.” [5]

In addition to Paris, he has lived and worked in New York, London and Malta.[6]

Early life and education

H. Craig Hanna was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1967. He has been drawing since his childhood. He earned his BFA from Syracuse University in 1994 and his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 1996. He started doing figurative classical painting from life at that time. His teacher John Foot introduced him to the Great Masters of figurative painting, such as Rembrandt, Velasquez, Sargent and Ingres. The Metropolitan Museum of Art played an important role in the painter’s artistic education.[7]

In 1998, Bergdorf Goodman held his first solo show in New York.[8] Since, he has had shows in London,[9] in Hong Kong[10] and in Malta.

Shortlisted in 2001[11] and 2006[12] for the National Portrait Gallery BP Portrait Award, he was rewarded in 2001 for his work 'Carlos sitting on a clear plastic chair'.

After his first Parisian exhibition in June 2008, he chose to settle in Paris. In September 2008, Laurence Esnol Gallery opened to solely represent the works of H. Craig Hanna.[13]

Art

The work of H. Craig Hanna continues in the tradition of Ancient Masters. His choices in terms of framing, color, composition and model root him in his time and century. His influences range from classical western painting (Titian, Rembrandt, Velasquez) to masters of the 19th century (Sargent, Whistler) and of the 20th century (Klimt, Schiele, Lucian Freud). Ancient Greek sculpture is also a major source of inspiration.

His portraits convey a strong human dimension, with particular emphasis on the subject's vulnerability, mitigated by a sense of benevolence. H. Craig Hanna often chooses his models according to their distinctive intensity. Each portrait is hence an expression of the model's singularity.[14]

Hanna's technical mastry expresses itself in many ways, from oil paint on wood or canvas to works on paper (oil pastel, pencil, charcoal…). The use of reverse plexiglas paint was a breakthrough in his work. Experimenting with the possibilities of this technique, playing with the effects of depth and transparency for instance, enabled him to explore new artistic paths.

Journalist and art critic Christopher Mooney describes his work as following: ‘While antecedents are visible in HANNA’s pictures, in both their contents and surfaces (...) HANNA pushes past these to create vital works that are brashly contemporary and unmistakably his own.’ H. Craig Hanna does so ‘by eschewing, even sabotaging, the strategies of most contemporary figurative painting: he chooses his subjects from “life” instead of photographs; he roots his formal concerns—line, color, brushstroke, scale—in painterly traditions; and, borrowing a forgotten form of outsider “folk” art—fixé sous verre in French, Hinterglasmalerei in German, “reverse-painting” in English —he inverts the usual process of painting by doing it backwards, on Plexiglas.’

Recognition and honors

In 2001, H. Craig Hanna was commended in the BP Portrait contest for his painting Carlos Sitting in a Clear Plastic Chair.

His work was exhibited at the Orangerie du Sénat in Paris in 2010[15] and the National Fine Art Museum in Malta in 2006.

H. Craig Hanna’s Arrangement of Dancers was acquired by the MNHA in 2015. The Museum held a retrospective of his work in March 2016.[5]


Exhibitions

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 BP Portrait Award 2001, Accessed June 11, 2014
  2. ↑ Peintures et Dessins de H. Craig Hanna à l’Orangerie du Sénat (Paintings and Drawings by H. Craig Hanna at the Orangerie du Sénat) Arte Media, 16 July 2010: "...Nous aimons l’idée d’associer des œuvres peintes à un travail plus photographique, de présenter des techniques anciennes à une technique beaucoup plus moderne. Les portraits de H. Craig Hanna sont si bouleversants que les agrandir nous permet de les voir autrement, détaillés laissant ainsi l’émotion nous submerger. Des portraits monumentaux.-- LEG Team ("We like the idea of associating painted works with a work more photographic, to present ancient techniques to a much more modern technique. The Portraits of H. Craig Hanna are so overwhelming that enlarging them allows us to see them otherwise, the details allowing emotion to submerge us. Monumental portraits.")
  3. ↑ "Les carnets de dessins de H. Craig Hanna" ("The sketchbooks of H. Craig Hanna"), Le Monde, 5 October 2009, "...Première monographie consacrée à H. Craig Hanna, la Laurence Esnol Gallery rassemble dessins, croquis et textes de l'artiste issus de ses "sketch books" sur une période de plus de dix ans." ("First solo exhibition devoted to H. Craig Hanna, the Laurence Esnol Gallery brings together drawings, sketches and texts by the artist from his "sketch books" over a period of more than ten years....") Accessed June 11, 2014,
  4. ↑ South China Morning Post, H. Craig Hanna, 11 November 2002, Accessed June 11, 2014
  5. 1 2 Craig Hanna at the MNHA
  6. ↑ "Right Outside my Window", The Malta Independent, 23 April 2006, Accessed June 11, 2014
  7. ↑ H. Craig Hanna, interview Dooboomgeishart, 2008
  8. ↑ H. Craig Hanna exhibition at the Martini Gallery, Hong Kong, South China Morning Post, 11 novembre 2002
  9. ↑ Cynthia Corbett Gallery, biography of the artist
  10. ↑ Amalia Johnson Contemporary, selection of works by H. Craig Hanna
  11. ↑ BP Portrait Award 2001, on the website of the National Portrait Gallery
  12. ↑ BP Portrait Award 2006, Hermes and George by H. Craig Hanna, on the website of the National Portrait Gallery
  13. ↑ Alexandre Crochet, "Laurence Esnol, L'obsession Craig Hanna", Le Figaro Magazine, 2010
  14. ↑ H. Craig Hanna - "Peintures et Dessins"': "...As a figurative painter I'm quite obsessed with faces. I love painting people's faces. It's amazing how every single face is different in so many ways."
  15. ↑ Peintures et dessins de H. Craig Hanna à l'Orangerie du Sénat, artéMédia
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