Originally from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Alan Hantz is a Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina Asheville where he taught communication law, photojournalism, media aesthetics, and humanities. As an award winning visual artist, his work has been shown at galleries and published internationally.
“My portraits and creative works range from those that lean into minimal, dramatic, realist forms to those that seek creative connections of image and style. They often use compositing and montage to find and indicate a bridge between the real and the ideal. All of these begin with intentional, painterly lighting and then develop through layering and blending of textures.”
“Of his music, Leonard Cohen said ‘One is always trying to write a good song, and like everything else you put in your best effort but you can’t command the consequences.’ Putting a work in the public eye, the artist relinquishes control of the work’s meaning. It is the job of an image to speak for itself. That is - meanings rest with viewers, who bring their own frames to the experience of seeing. With this in mind, it is imperative for the artist to offer images that challenge the viewer to think, to feel, to reflect, to hope. That is my goal as a visual artist.”
