Hans Hansen (painter, 1920)

Sjálvsmynd (self-image) 1968, 50 × 44 cm, on a 1998 stamp

Hans Hansen (born November 14, 1920 in Mikladalur , Faroe Islands , † March 8, 1970 in Copenhagen ), also known as Hans í Mikladali , was a Faroese painter .

life and work

Hans was born in the remote village of Mikladalur on Kalsoy . Like other young men of his generation, he went to sea as a deep-sea fisherman at the age of 15. He later completed an apprenticeship as a painter and became a painter's journeyman in 1942. During the war he lived in Iceland , where the encounter with the art of Johannes Kjarval animated his interest in painting. In 1949 Hans Hansen moved to Copenhagen to study first at Bizzie Høyer's drawing school (1949–1953) and later at the School of Fine Arts of the Royal Danish Academy of Art (1953–1957). At the art academy he also studied the technique of fresco painting . In 1958 he went on a study trip to Paris with his compatriot and artist colleague Ingálvur av Reyni .

After completing his training, he settled in Tórshavn , where he worked as a painter. Hans Hansen belongs to the pioneering generation of Faroese painters born around 1920 who were inspired by the artist Sámal Joensen-Mikines in their youth . Thematically he was strongly connected with the landscapes, houses and people of his home village.

During a stay in Ravenna in 1962 he studied the technique of fresco painting and the mosaic technique . He undoubtedly intended to make monumental decorations, but due to illness and early death, he was only able to complete two major works using these techniques. However, there are some smaller works in fresco and mosaic. Fresco painting had a special meaning for Hans Hansen. In his oil paintings, too, he tried to achieve the special surface effect, the clear color tone and the characteristic pastoral tone that are characteristic of fresco colors. Characteristic of his landscapes and portraits are the clear form, the purity and luminosity of the colors and a personal lyrical tone.

He was buried in Mikladalur.

See also: Faroese art

Decorations

• Wall painting in the school of Fuglafjørður 1959–1960 together with Ingálvur av Reyni
• Fresco in the Faroe Islands Folk High School , Tórshavn 1961
• Wall mosaic in Føroya Banki , Klaksvík 1964

Web links

• Art.fo - Art Museum of the Faroe Islands about Hans Hansen (English, Danish and Faroese)
• Faroeartstamps.fo - Hans Hansen (English, German, French, Danish, Faroese - basis for this article)