Dispatch 01
March 2021
Down East Magazine article by Virginia M. Wright | Photography by Whitney Legge © David Hanna Trust
In the News
We are delighted to share a feature in Down East Magazine by Virginia M. Wright, who writes about American artist David Hanna’s rigor, “deft technique” and our efforts to photograph and catalogue his bodies of work.
Photography by Whitney Legge © David Hanna Trust
Update from the Archives
We recently discovered a number of drawings and photographs in a variety of dimensions made in David Hanna’s lifetime astonishing for their precision and directness, including this nude and rapidly sketched bird’s wing. These works reveal more about his practice and will be professionally photographed, digitized and available for study and research. They will also be featured in two new series special to @davidhanna_art this year, #HannaStudio and #OnLocation.
Night Watch, 1971, Drybrush, 27 x 19 in. © David Hanna Trust
Featured Artwork
We find ourselves returning over and over this season to David Hanna’s Night Watch, a triumph of light and perspective displaying the artist’s textured brushwork. The canvas depicts retired seaman Captain Alexander Breede (d. 1971) and is a key painting in Hanna’s oeuvre. A favorite subject of the artist, Breede was both a friend and fellow creative.
Message from The Trust
Welcome to the first edition of the David Hanna Dispatch, a periodic newsletter highlighting the artist’s work and the Trust’s efforts to share the story of his life and career. Over the unusual past 12 months, we continued identifying and documenting artworks and also visited and documented locations and structures featured in paintings and sketches. In October 2020, accompanied by documentary photographer Whitney Legge, we captured compelling images of the Parson Capen house in Topsfield, Massachusetts, Pemaquid Point Light in Bristol, Maine, and other locations in New England. Hanna’s story and our project caught the attention of Downeast Magazine which published “The Lost Art of David Hanna” by Virginia M. Wright in their March 2021 issue. We hope that this article will be the first of many editorial features showcasing David Hanna’s artwork, opening new doors to furthering research, and we look forward to sharing our journey of discovery with you.
Wishing you a bright, healthy and safe 2021.
Warmly,
Jamie Hanna, Director