By Edward Hopper, from Nyack, New York (1882 - 1967)
He was one of the first major American artists of the 2
0th century to establish a genuinely international reputation. After a hesitant start his art has enjoyed growing popularity and acclaim since mid-century. Hopper's central subjects were the isolation of modern urban man, and the harmony nature still affords. His representations of given reality were strongly coloured by a distinctive personal vision in which the impact of intense colours and powerfully established figures was offset by the introspective melancholy that is so profoundly characteristic of the individuals who people his images.
Hopper lived a quiet life with his wife Josephine, who was also a dedicated painter, and it was to her that he owed the first critical attention that was paid to his art in 1923. Nighthawks (1942), doubtless his best-known painting, is an eloquent account of 20th century man's alienation from his surroundings. The only light in the deserted street is the artificial light of a bar, when we see a spartan interior through the interposes medium of glass window panes: in Hopper's world, contact of a more direct kind is next to impossible. The strong lines and colours only emphasize the impression of alienation in a hostile city.
Hopper's pictures of the natural world convey an entirely different mood, though: his craggy landscapes with tranquil seas are of an unwonted gentleness and the warm browns and soft shapes make a soothing impression. Hopper's pictures, economically and simply painted, are at once realistic and defamiliarized, and his optimism, perhaps only apparent at second glance, makes his work one of the most impressive experiences in 20th century art.
Hopper lived a quiet life with his wife Josephine, who was also a dedicated painter, and it was to her that he owed the first critical attention that was paid to his art in 1923. Nighthawks (1942), doubtless his best-known painting, is an eloquent account of 20th century man's alienation from his surroundings. The only light in the deserted street is the artificial light of a bar, when we see a spartan interior through the interposes medium of glass window panes: in Hopper's world, contact of a more direct kind is next to impossible. The strong lines and colours only emphasize the impression of alienation in a hostile city.
Hopper's pictures of the natural world convey an entirely different mood, though: his craggy landscapes with tranquil seas are of an unwonted gentleness and the warm browns and soft shapes make a soothing impression. Hopper's pictures, economically and simply painted, are at once realistic and defamiliarized, and his optimism, perhaps only apparent at second glance, makes his work one of the most impressive experiences in 20th century art.
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