The artwork titled “Man with Ladder” by Duane Hanson, created in 1994, is a sculpture that aligns with the Hyper-Realism and Photorealism art movements. In this piece, a life-sized, highly detailed sculpture of a man, who appears to be a workman, is depicted standing beside a wooden ladder. The man, clad in a red plaid shirt, blue jeans that bear patches of paint, and a baseball cap worn backwards, holds a coiled yellow extension cord in one hand while resting his other hand on the ladder. The extraordinarily realistic representation of the man and the everyday objects reflect Hanson’s meticulous attention to detail, imitating reality to such an extent that the sculpture resembles a living person. This work is emblematic of Hanson’s focus on capturing ordinary moments and individuals within the hyper-realist genre, challenging the observer’s perception and expectations of art.
