Emma Grace Hapner

Emma Hapner is a figurative oil painter based in New York City. She earned her Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting from the New York Academy of Art, after completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Ball State University in her home state of Indiana. Hapner primarily works in oil paint on canvas, creating figurative pieces that reclaim the language of classical painting through a contemporary feminine perspective. In addition to her work as an artist, Hapner is an educator, art historian, and writer.


Artist Statement

To me, the color pink is a symbol of unapologetic femininity. I paint my figures in pink worlds and look to motifs from classical antiquity to celebrate traditional painting from my perspective: a woman seeking to understand the intricacies of womanhood.

My paintings focus on the duality of womanhood that I have experienced, exploring the desire to embody the power and sexuality that exist alongside my interest in beauty, softness, and “girly” traits, acknowledging that one does not detract from the other.

Embracing my love of pink is important to me, as a woman and an artist. By immersing multiple figures in a hot pink space, I hope to depict the intimate, tumultuous, and ever-changing relationship with oneself. Conventionally, soft pink has been a color for little girls, but in my work I use more intense shades of quinacridone red, magenta, and fluorescent pink to embrace both sensuality and power.


https://www.emmahapner.com/