IMMORTALISE THE GREAT MOMENTS AND ENCOUNTERS OF YOUR LIFE.
"HORSE PAINTING IN THE
ABSOLUTE HIGH-END RANGE."
(Joan Marquardt, Warendorf)
Hartmut Hellner is one of the most renowned horse painters of our time. His clients include world-famous equestrians such as Isabell Werth, Jessica von Bredow Werndl, Sönke Rothenberger and Patrick Kittel. His expressive works are hung in important racing stables such as the Röttgen and Hof Ittlingen stud farms. His works are presented in the VIP areas of international horse shows. The Deutsches Pferdemuseum (German Horse Museum) is dedicating a major exhibition to his expressive horse paintings in 2025.
Hartmut Hellner paints with powerful, expressive brush strokes, ...
… lets the colours run over the canvas or spread them with wide trowels. Layer by layer he applies the colours, paints over them … again and again, with the first layers still working their way through when he works out the last details.
In this process he creates modern, tension-filled horse portraits, dog paintings und portraits full of authenticity and movement, in which the observer discovers new details again and again and delves deeply into the nature of the horses, dogs or people. He should not only recognise what he sees. He should experience it. It should touch him.
But where does this enthusiasm
for horse painting come from?
Friends of his parents were passionate riders. They often took him to the eventing championships in Luhmühlen and he spent a lot of time with the horses in their stables. They also collected works by important horse painters. Their walls were literally wallpapered with horse paintings, engravings and reproductions by masters such as John Boultbee, Alfred Dedreux, George Stubbs or contemporary representatives of horse painting.
Horses that freeze on the canvas …
Hartmut Hellner was enormously impressed by the scenes he experienced during eventing and by the beauty, power, elegance, energy, expressiveness, temperament and depth of the horses. In comparison, he found the paintings of the famous old and younger masters of classical horse painting almost static.
… and why he brings them to life.
With his painting, he is taking a completely different, new approach. He is interested in unfolding dynamics on the canvas and making them tangible.
That’s why he does not get caught up in the details, but rather throw portraits of horses as well as scenes from galloping, dressage, show jumping or polo on the canvas with explosive brushstrokes. The form often dissolves in the movement, the motif merges with its surroundings, “lines of force” plough through the scenes.
From landscape to portrait
Before Hartmut Hellner found his love for horse painting he developed his style on landscapes and later on portraits. Here and there are elevations and depressions, light and shadow, liveliness and erosion. Portraits are actually facial landscapes. But what makes them more interesting than landscapes are the eyes, in which the essence of people, horses and dogs is reflected.
It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul. That’s why he works them out precisely and tries to reflect all their depth.
The contrast between the fleetingly thrown parts and the eyes, which are worked out in detail, creates a tension that draws the viewer into the painting.
Free work and commissioned painting
Many of his paintings, whether they are portraits, scenes from equestrian sports or dogs, are made as commissioned paintings. If you are looking for a very special gift or want to give yourself a personal painting as a present, please send him an inquiry without obligation. Or give Hartmut Hellner a call: + 49 178 7619485, Of course you can also send an email. You may also be interested in one of the available paintings, which you can find under horses, dogs and people.
By the way: canvas prints are also possible.
For some of his customers the price of the original is out of their budget … or it is simply too big for the wall they want to put it on … or too small. That’s why Hartmut Hellner also offers his horse and dog paintings as well as portraits as canvas prints.
Immortalise the great moments and encounters of your life in three steps.
1. His paintings are based on photos.
Often simple mobile phone photos are sufficient.
2. How large should your painting be?
Hartmut Hellner will put your photo templates in different formats so that you get the best possible feeling for the composition.
3. Let’s get started.
After the right template is found and the perfect format determined, he gets to work.
It may take a little longer for your painting to be completed.
Usually Hartmut Hellner is booked a few months in advance. Therefore, please bring some time with you. If necessary, he will, of course, try to get to your order quicker, so that it will be done in time for your birthday, wedding etc.
And how much does a painting cost?
That depends entirely on the format and motif. The best way is to send an inquiry without obligation. Of course you can also call him at +49 178 7619485 or send an email.
