Edward Hopper (1882-1967)

Biography

Edward Hopper, American painter and representative of magic realism, was born in Nayak (New York), July 22, 1882 in the family shop owner. Deciding to become a painter, he studied at the New York art school (1900-1906), where his principal mentor was R.Genri (Henray). In 1906-1910, he made three trips to Europe. He experienced a great influence of both local and American ("school dustbins," the head of which was Henry) along with French Impressionism. He participated in the avant-garde exhibition "Armory Show" in New York (1913), but on the whole remained indifferent to the radical avant-garde art. Having mastered the technique of etching and lithography, in 1924 he started earning his living in advertising and book and magazine illustrations. In 1920 he formed a distinctive style of painting, which had found expression in an optimal urban genre, interiors and landscapes in New York City and provincial America. Restrained, cool tone, relatively small-format paintings are imbued with lyrical melancholy, Hopper work reflected the motives of human loneliness and alienation (House by the Railroad, 1925, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, two tiers of windows Lighthouse, 1929 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, early Sunday morning, 1930, the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Polunoschniki, 1942, Art Institute of Chicago) (Hume, 1998). Over the years, his art has intensified the emotional role of light, sometimes appears as the main "hero" images (Sunlight on the second floor, 1960, the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York).

Hopper died in New York on May 15, 1967. Many of the paintings by the master became national artistic archetypes and most popular often made on book covers, in a visual advertisement, and also dispersing a record number of copies of postcards and posters (Levin, 1995).

Development of an Artist

The painter and graphic artist Edward Hopper was one of the most important American realists of the 20th century. Born in Nyack, New York, he trained as an illustrator before studying with Robert Henri at the New York School of Art (Levin & Hopper, 1979). He made four brief trips to Europe between 1906 and 1910, and though some influences are discernible (such as Manet and Degas) he remained unaffected by avantgarde developments, preferring to develop the potential of American realism. He exhibited at the Armory Show 1913, and between 1915 and 1923 concentrated on graphic works in which he quickly discovered his characteristic subjects and techniques. His vision of everyday American life—typically of empty streets, isolated buildings and solitary, remote figures—is dominated by a profound sense of loneliness and boredom. Major works include Early Sunday Morning (1930; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York) and Night Hawks (1942; Art Institute of Chicago). Hopper's concern with structure is emphasized by his skillful use of strong verticals, horizontals and diagonals, a simplification of forms and the use of oblique sunlight. At times—as in Rooms by the Sea (1951; Yale University Art Gallery), which is dominated by a blank wall and an open door framing a view of ...