Flea Market Vendor 1990

Duane Hanson made this work in an unknown year from mixed media. What strikes me about this piece is its quiet stillness. Look at her, sitting amongst her wares – books, paintings, little treasures. I imagine Hanson, the artist, carefully positioning each item, thinking about the stories they might tell. There’s a painting of a landscape, serene and calm, next to a box labeled ‘Books and Art ½ off.’ What a life they have, to be marked down! What was she thinking when she decided to sell her possessions? What does it feel like to be sitting in a chair, exposed to a cold world, trying to survive, to make a buck? Hanson’s work makes me think about how we all engage with our own histories, and how our material world is so often a mirror for our inner lives. Artworks engage in an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. I find that comforting.