Edward Hopper
Born – Nyack, USA 1882
Died – New York City 1967
Edward Hopper is recognised as a major realist painter of the twentieth century. In 1924, while working as an illustrator, he had his first solo exhibition. He studied at the New York School of Art from 1900 to 1906. Hopper then visited Paris and returned there during 1909 and 1910. The European lifestyle and the art he witnessed had a major impact on his painting; he claimed that it took him ten years to get over the experience. Looking at his work, it is clear that he never really did. The influence of the French Impressionists infiltrates his composition and his focus on light effects and social scenes. Hopper established his artistic identity by utilizing the “typically American subject matter” of hotel room interiors, gasoline stations, theatre foyers, apartments and café bars at night. Without resorting to narrative, a sense of contemplation, quietness or non-communication is suggested. Chop Suey is such a picture. It has a timelessness and the pervasive air of introspection is a reflection of Hopper’s own character. The interior life of the city forms the content of most of Hopper’s work and his, stylistically, inspired film makers and other artists searching for an essentially American mood.
Masterpieces:
• Automat
• Room in New York
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Edward Hopper
Silent Theater: The Art of Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper's New York