Duane Hanson: Old Couple on a Bench
In my sculpture, I attempt to detach myself from the subject. Although my earlier works were rather expressionistic with oubursts against war, crime and violence in general, I now find my most successful pieces are less topical and idiographic. They are naturalistic or illusionistic which results in an element of shock, surprise and psychological impact for the viewer. The subject matter that I like best deals with the familiar lower and middle class American types of today. To me, the resignation, emptiness and loneliness of their existence captures the true reality of life for these people.
Consequently, as a realist, I am interested in the human form and especially the faces and bodies which have suffered like some weather worn landscape erosion of time. In portraying this aspect of life I want to achieve a certain rough realism which speaks of the fascinating idiosyncrasies of our time. I want my sculptures to convey a certain sense of stylelessness which will capture the contemporary feeling of reality.
(Contemporary Artists, St. James Press, 1998, p. 480)
