by Olivia Young

Stepping foot into Edgehill, its historic wooden walls are adorned with more than 20 vibrant, detailed paintings — one as large as 21 by seven feet — by longtime Kingsbridge Heights resident, artist and teacher Daniel Hauben.

“Emergence” holds special meaning to 69-year-old Hauben. He has lived in the same house on Fort Independence Street since he was a child, and in his years there has built a decades-long career that led him to become recognized throughout the Bronx. But, he and his wife are aiming to spend more time at their house in the Hudson Valley, and “Emergence” marks a moment of transition. It is also a nod to Hauben’s own self-exploration as an artist, as the title work is a surrealist painting that took over six years to complete.

For most of his time as an artist, Hauben has focused on landscapes, cityscapes and portraits, often found on the borough’s streets. He would capture the view from his Riverdale studio, or sit at a bustling corner, replicating street lights and passersby. Earlier in his career, he was influenced by professors at the School of Visual Arts to stick to more traditional subject matter, as Hauben recalled them telling him his work was “all over the place.” But, as the years went on, it became more apparent that Hauben drew inspiration from the late 1960s to early ‘70s art movement.

“Slowly, more subjective elements started creeping into my work,” Hauben said. “At some point, I kind of started calling myself a closet surrealist.”

“Emergence” itself is a 9-foot painting that features swirls of blue and yellow, with mushrooms sprouting from the bottom, and dreamy figures and shapes winding throughout. Hauben started it in 2019, when he made a point to create a landscape painting that he would have free reign over. It was a different approach than he had taken to other pieces, but Hauben wanted to give himself the space to take it in any direction.

Once Covid-19 swept the globe, Hauben was stuck inside without access to his usual outdoor sites, or people-centered subjects. He honed in on “Emergence,” and it kept growing in scale — adding another panel, and then an arched top, and then figures resembling jellyfish. It became a piece that he had a different relationship to, Hauben explained, as it was created with no deadline or outside pressure to complete it. He still felt a sense of passion each time he added a brushstroke, and so he kept at it for years.

“I’ve worked on it more than I’ve ever worked on any one painting,” Hauben said.

Some of the other pieces featured include “Reflecting on the Familiar,” which is a view of the neighborhood from Hauben’s Terrace, as well as other cityscapes like “Bronx Vortex,” and “There’s No Place Like Home,” a depiction of the Grand Concourse with characters from the “Wizard of Oz.”

Hauben’s gravitation toward the art world started shortly after he moved to Kingsbridge Heights, when he created his first mural on his bedroom wall. It showed neighborhood staples like a person walking a dog and a squirrel climbing a tree.

“At a fairly early age, I kind of had an inkling that painting could be something that I could do forever,” Hauben said. “And that’s turned out to be absolutely true.”

He holds degrees from the School of Museum of Fine Arts in Massachusetts, as well as the School of Visual Arts, and is the recipient of numerous awards from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and residencies with the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, to name a few. Hauben also spends a large amount of his time teaching, currently at the Riverdale Y and Riverdale Senior Services.

After all this time, Hauben still isn’t tired of his craft. He teaches his students that to keep work authentic, and to keep the spark alive within yourself, it is crucial to take a chance with each piece you create. In the case of “Emergence,” Hauben pointed out he had never indulged himself to that degree, for that length of time, on any work. Still, he feels it’s time for something new.

“I’m more inclined to be next to a babbling brook, under the shade of a tree, listening to the birds sing,” Hauben said, referencing the time he’s spending in the Hudson Valley.

Hauben and the Kingsbridge Historical Society have collaborated before, in 2024, on a presentation called “Daniel Hauben in Kingsbridge and Riverdale: Artist Retrospective,” which explored the neighborhood through Hauben’s works.

Tom Carey, president of the society, said this time, Hauben’s exhibit is one more piece in the exploration to take Kingsbridge Historical Society beyond just historic lectures. Hauben is a community-based artist, Carey added, and it shows in his work.

“[Hauben] loves looking at and painting scenes that are around him,” Carey said. “He’s someone who has a very genuine curiosity about people and things, and I think that just speaks a lot to him.”

Hauben said a common response to his work from residents is that they have walked by a street he’s captured numerous times, but never stopped to notice its details. He hopes the “Emergence” exhibit, like the thread that runs through so many of his other pieces, evokes this feeling in others.

“Painting the world, and painting the Bronx … It’s been my privilege to take the time to really look at what this world looks like,” Hauben said. “And then, through my work, share that.”

The Kingsbridge Historical Society will hold an exhibition opening May 1 at its Edgehill headquarters,  located at 2570 Independence Ave. “Emergence” will run through the end of June.

Keywords

Daniel Hauben,

Bronx artist,

Emergence exhibit,

Edgehill Kingsbridge Historical Society,

Bronx art scene,

surrealist painting