Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper was an American artist, a prominent representative of genre painting, one of the largest urbanists of the XXth century. Although his work was officially referred to the style of “realism”, Hopper offered such a great look at life between the world wars that he inspired countless artists, photographers, directors, stage designers, dancers, writers and even musicians.

The phenomenon of the artist is confirmed by the term “Hopperesque” that appeared in art history to refer to images that emphasize the isolation of personality in a modern city. Providing a minimum of action, removing almost any signs of movement from the plot and adding dramatic means of representation with striking lighting schemes in claustrophobic spaces, Hopper invited the viewer not to consider but to feel the psychological state of life itself. Thus, the master paved the way for Abstract Expressionism, remaining a traditional artist.

Generations of filmmakers drew inspiration from Hopper’s dramatic views, the lighting and general mood of his paintings – for example, the picture “House by the Railroad” inspired Alfred Hitchcock in “Psycho” (1960), as well as Terrence Malick in “The Days of Heaven” (1978).

Hopper’s revelations appeal to writers and musicians: Joyce Carol Oates used the painting “Night Hawks” for a series of poems, Tom Waits called his album “Nighthawks in the diner”, and Madonna named her concert “Girlie Show”.

Hopper was not a prolific artist – he encountered difficulties in choosing an object, spent a lot of time sorting out the details of the composition, and created numerous sketches. By the end of his life, he completed only two paintings a year. The Hoppers bequeathed their creations to the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The house where Edward spent his childhood is included in the National Register of Historic Places and operates as the non-profit Hopper Arts Center.

The artist Eric Fischl said of Hopper’s influence, “How big the artist can be, we can decide from the time it takes to go through his territory … I’m still on it.” Too many creators to this day are “on the territory”, which was opened by Edward Hopper.

Key ideas:

– In the formation of Hopper’s recognizable creative style, a significant role was played by his studies at Robert Henry’s private school, where the main task was considered to be the birth of personality; its the main principle was “Educate yourself”.

– Having passed the stage of “advertising” creativity experiencing with creating illustrations, Hopper found a special niche in Realism. His images are consistently restrained, and the lack of details encourages the viewer to complete the story himself. This element of Hopper’s art had a major impact on the development of Postmodernism, where viewers were given an important role.

– Hopper usually depicted faces of characters as impassive, detached from the environment. That is how the artist indicated his focus on the isolation of a man in modern life. This manner is indicated by both unmodulated light and the presence of parts immersed in darkness.

– The main inspiration of Edward Hopper was the city of New York and a number of provincial towns. In the plots of his paintings, there is a peculiar image of a specific person or a generalized view of a loner, a kind of “frozen” in his disappointment, devastated urban dweller. Later, the artist created the so-called “portraits of houses” with their clear geometric shapes.

– Many of Hopper’s houses inspired directors: animated by artistic means, separated from the surroundings and illuminated by blanching light, they stand out sharply and cast dramatic shadows.

– Hopper remained faithful to his artistic style until the end of his life, painting, in particular, his photographically verified subjects not only in oil but also in watercolour.

– Artist and writer Burgin said about the pervasive influence of the master, “We do not need to look for Hopper to find him. We may ask if this photograph of Larry Sultan was taken with conscious attention to paintings of Edward Hopper.” You can add that this is a film by a great director, this album or the show is of a famous musician. The term “Hopperesque” means that the creator, consciously or not, sees the world through the prism of paintings by Edward Hopper.