Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2007 - (Page 20)

From to William Hanemann’s work marks the confluence of two decoycarving traditions in southeast Louisiana — the folk-art tradition of creating working ducks as tools for the hunt, and the contemporary fine arts tradition of carving decorative decoys. Hanemann’s career was launched through a synergy of formal and informal educational experiences — industrial arts classes in the New Orleans public schools, coupled with weekly visits with his uncle, the prominent New Orleans decoy collector Jimmie Hanemann. As a teenager, William passed many days in the company of his uncle — either at his office or over weekly breakfasts at the Howard Johnson’s restaurant on Loyola Avenue. Jimmie Hanemann (1901–1988), a New Orleans tire dealer and real estate investor, amassed a diverse collection of roughly 3,000 decoys in his lifetime. Though his holdings included numerous exemplars from across the United States, one-third of his decoys were from Louisiana. In the 1960s, at a time when plastic decoys were seen as more practical — their lighter weight made carrying an entire rig far simpler — and easier to maintain than their handcarved counterparts, Jimmie set about building his Louisiana decoy collection by offering to trade two plastic decoys for one carved working duck. Though local duck hunters questioned the wisdom of his substantial investment, Jimmie eschewed their skepticism in order to satisfy his growing enthusiasm for Louisiana decoys. William Hanemann, inspired by his uncle’s passion, first entered the world of wildfowl art as an enthusiast, not as a serious carver. But regular exposure to his uncle’s extensive collection inspired the younger Hanemann’s initial efforts to incorporate the carving and painting techniques of an earlier generation of carvers into his own creations. At age 17, William was selling miniature decoys through local newspaper ads at $7.50 per duck. By the early 1970s, Hanemann began accompanying Charles W. Frank Jr., a friend and noted writer, on countless forays down Louisiana’s back roads and bayous to seek out working decoys and their makers. During the pair’s travels, Hanemann was fortunate to meet with and learn from some of the region’s most celebrated and talented carvers. Though many of these craftsmen, including Reme Roussel (1903–1972), Clovis “Cadice” Vizier (ca. 1885– 1975), Xavier Bourg (1901–1984), and Theodule Pertuit (1909– 1974), had stopped carving as old-age maladies weakened their eyesight and dexterity, Hanemann benefited greatly from the knowledge passed to him through their oral testimonies. One construction technique employed by early carvers such as Nicole Vidacovich (1853–1945) and Charles Armstrong (1887–1954), The Wildfowl Carvings of William Hanemann and adopted by Hanemann, is the use of wooden pegs to attach the decoy head. Unlike iron nails, pegs are rust resistant — an essential characteristic for decoys hunted over in the brackish water of southeast Louisiana’s coastal marshes. First exposed to the emerging world of decorative carving by chance, when he saw decorative decoys on display at the now defunct New Orleans retailer Sports Art, Hanemann began experimenting with new techniques, tools, and finishes. Hanemann, along with a cadre of other southeast Louisiana right: Hanging pintail drake in the nature morte style by William Hanemann, 1974 FINE ART: Folk Art below: William Hanemann and “Cane” 20 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Winter 2007-08 http://www.hnoc.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2007

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2007 Contents Friends Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Katrina: Days of Terror, Months of Anguish Paintings by Rolland Golden The Historic New Orleans Collection The Great Ouachita River Flood of 1932 Jazz Notes Louisiana Architecture Louisiana: Where Land Meets Water Louisiana State Museum Through A Lens Sharply: An Interview with Michael Lewis MR-GO: A “miracle” mired in controversy Louisiana Foodways Louisiana Association of Museums New Orleans: An Autopsy Bookstand Sound Advice Forum

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.