Carl Hantman

1933 - 0000

Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the only child of a Serviceman, Carl Hantman grew up all along the Eastern Seaboard, from New York to Miami. At the age of 10 he lived in New York near the Art Students League, where he says, “I got into anatomy classes and became even more involved in art.” As a youngster he says he constantly went to see Western movies. However, it wasn’t until a couple years later, when his family moved to Florida, that he was first introduced to “Western life” in a more tangible way. Says Hantman, “Many people don’t realize how much cattle industry and ranching exists in Florida. I grew up around cattle people and had a number of friends who lived on ranches. They would invite me out to visit and they would ride while I would sketch.” Hantman is grateful his parents were so supportive of his interest in art at an early age. “I was lucky because my folks pushed me forward. They saw to it that I got private lessons with a Florida artist, and every summer they let me go back to Cape Cod and study art.”

Following high school Hantman studied at the University of Miami briefly before being drafted into the Army, which stationed him in Northern Japan. After his two-year tour of duty in the Army, Hantman moved back to New York to once again enroll at the New York Art Students League and attend the Frank J. Reilly School of Art, where he studied for the next six years. His first job following school was with a studio as an illustrator, where he specialized in Western paperback book covers for novels by Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, and Max Brand, eventually illustrating more than 200 book covers. When the publishers of Max Brand books wanted covers that looked more like fine art, Hantman obliged. And, when a gallery in Austin, Texas bought all of those original paintings Hantman felt his future lay in fine art rather than illustration. While he enjoys having no deadlines and being able to paint the subjects that interest him he notes that, “In some senses, fine art is much more demanding than illustration. There is more pressure because you have to do something that somebody will want to take home and hang on their wall for years.”

Today Hantman lives and works in Stuart, Florida, painting scenes primarily of Apache Indians during the second half of the nineteenth century. In preparation for each new painting Hantman works with an historian friend who checks his facts and helps arrange for the models, costumes, and horses that will make up the scene he wants to paint. “The Apaches were such a strong people, and the strength of character draws me. I like the open and bold look of the landscape. That whole era lends itself to my style.”

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