ALONE WITH MATERIALS

Vol. 5 HANS BENDA, June 17, 2020

Explore German painter Hans Benda’s studio with his usual tools and materials on site as he narrates his reflections on art and humanity.

Hans Benda works in figurative portraits and landscapes. He responds to the state of urgency in our outside world with a calm and observant realistic perspective. Though he says “painting was never meant to really solve problems,” his work reminds us to simply enjoy being alive.

HANS BENDA (b. 1960, German)

Although Hans Benda’s work is deeply rooted in the rich tradition of European painting, it eschews romanticism and nostalgia, directly engaging with today’s increasingly intricate world by blending the ancient and the modern, the peaceful and the fraught, the indifferent and the beckoning. In addition to oil on canvas, he also makes oil drawings on resin-coated paper, a new technique he recently developed.

The Low Cloud, oil on canvas, 43.3 x 57 in. (110 x 145 cm) © Hans Benda

In his own words, Hans is “trying to catch one moment, one aspect of endless transition. Everything is on the move. The waves at the shore move in a similar way than do the mountains in the background. Just more quickly!” Benda’s landscapes and portraits remind us of how ephemeral the spectacle of life is and urge us to embrace it. For available works by Hans, pleas visit his page on Artsy.

In The Forest, 2018, oil on canvas, 12.6 x 14 in. (32 x 36 cm) © Hans Benda

Born in Berlin in 1960, Hans Benda studied Fine Arts at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe (1982-87). After living in Belgium for many years, he currently divides his time between Idar-Oberstein (Germany) and Misakimachi (Japan). Benda’s work has been shown in Bangladesh, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. Hans lives and works in Idar-Oberstein, Germany with his partner Eliana.

Talking To The Nurse, 2020, olin on canvas, 45.3 x 51.2 in. (115x130-cm) © Hans Benda