943. Edward Hopper (1882-1967), American,

People in the Sun, 1960. Oil on canvas,

102.6 x 153.4 cm. Smithsonian American Art Museum,

Washington, D.C. American Realism.

 

 

Edward Hopper

(1882 Nyack – 1967 New York)

 

Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. His teacher, Robert Henri, was part of the Aschen school movement in America shortly before World War I. This influence is seen in the artist’s frequent choice of ordinary cityscapes (examples of the American vernacular architecture) and street subjects. The artist sold his first painting at the famous Armory show in 1913 and was commissioned the following year to make movie posters and handle publicity for a movie company a subject that is seen in his paintings throughout his career. Hopper’s style included both urban and rural scenes and finely calculated renderings of his own vision of American life. He paid particular attention to geometrical design and the careful placement of the human figures in relation with their environment. He used light effects to create mood and would often use bright sunlight and the shadows that it casts to play a symbolically powerful role in his paintings. He derived his subjects from two primary sources: the common features of common life and its inhabitants or seascapes and rural landscapes. The majority of Hopper’s figure paintings focus on the subtlety of human interactions and depict solo figures, couples or groups. His primary emotional themes are solitude, loneliness, boredom, regret and resignation. One Hopper reached the latter part of his career he had developed a mature style and his art remained consistent and self contained.