When you ask Riverdale artist Daniel Hauben why he chose scenes of Bronx urban life for his artwork, he simply shrugs and says that he wants to 'pick up the beauty that is out there.' For the past 20 years, the local-born artist has been painting city imagery, in particular scenes from Riverdale and Bronx life. Over the years, his work has included scenes from all sections of the borough from down in the South Bronx all the way up to Ewen Park in Riverdale. Urban scenes from Bailey Avenue, Sedgewick Avenue and Mosholu Parkway have also made their way into Hauben's paintings.

"I consider myself a landscape artist," says Mr. Hauben, "and the look and feel of the Bronx had a great impact on me as I was growing up. I strive to penetrate through the city's anonymous exterior to find visual moments which capture the uniqueness of the Bronx and all its distinctive forms of humanity."

-Excerpts from an article by Melanie Zivancev in the Riverdale Review, September 14, 1995

I've been making paintings of the Bronx for twenty years. During this time my focus has shifted from a distanced panoramic overview to a more "in your face" street level perspective. The experience of working out on location - the smells, the sounds and the interactions with passers by (and lingerers on) - keeps me on my toes and forces me to be spontaneous. Mine is a first-hand, personal vision of everyday life in this dense and extraordinary metropolis. With each piece I endeavor to capture the life revolving around me in all its immediacy and vitality.

-Daniel Hauben