Edward Hopper was born on July 22, 1882 in Nyack, New York, a small city on the Hudson River. Hopper was artistically inclined from an early age and took his formal training at the New York School of Art, where he was greatly influenced by painter and teacher Robert Henri, one of the founding members of the realistic Ash Can School.
Early Years
Hopper was a keen admirer of Henri, though as his career developed he would focus less on Henri’s interest in human expression and character and instead opt for the diverse American landscape as his subject matter. In Hopper’s work, the surroundings are expertly detailed and dominate the scene, whereas the people within the paintings tend to be almost faceless.
Following a sojourn in Paris that left him relatively uninspired, Hopper returned to the United States. Like many artists of his time, Hopper was then forced to do illustrations for magazines and newspapers in order to earn a living. His initial painting efforts did not bring much acclaim, but subsequent ventures in etching and watercolors found success and he was able to have his own show in 1920.
Marriage and Method
In 1924, Hopper married fellow artist Josephine Nivison, often called Jo, who had also studied with Robert Henri. While their relationship could be stormy, Jo understood the artistic way of life and would always help Hopper to find the time and means to paint and often posed as his model.
The Hoppers kept a studio in Manhattan’s Washington Square and spent summers in New England, as well as traveling across the country. These different environments would provide Hopper with subject matter for his urban and Cape Cod paintings, along with roadside scenes and varied portraits of the United States. As Hopper himself noted, “You know how beautiful things are when you're travelling.”
Nighthawks and The American Scene
Hopper’s work encompasses everything from Chinese restaurants to movie theaters, gas stations, tenements, offices, ocean views and empty streets on Sunday mornings, generally with a static, hollow beauty and sense of finely-honed detachment. One of Hopper’s most famous paintings, Nighthawks, was completed in 1942.
Nighthawks shows the urban diner at night, darkly toned yet harshly lit within. Its blankly featured shady characters and counter boy look like a still from an American gangster film noir and have inspired many a tribute or homage in modern culture. Perhaps more than any other Hopper painting, Nighthawks makes us wonder – just what is being conspired at this pre-dawn hour, where have these characters been and where will they be going when the sun comes up?
Legacy
Towards the 1950s and 1960s, Hopper found himself losing his eye for inspiration and at odds with the burgeoning Abstract Expressionist movement of art. He died at his studio on May 15, 1967, having become something of a recluse, although his wife Jo was still with him and would follow him in death just ten months later.
Edward Hopper’s work is unquestionably considered a definitive part of American art and culture, taking everyday scenes and sights and giving them an eternal and haunting permanence. His famous Nighthawks is on view at The Art Institute of Chicago, and his other paintings – both watercolor and oil – can be seen at The Whitney Museum of American Art, The National Gallery of Art and The Brooklyn Museum, to name a few. Furthermore, Hopper’s childhood home has been fully restored and is now an arts center in Nyack, New York.
Sources
- Edward Hopper - Answers.com
- Edward Hopper - Artchive.com
- The Art Institute of Chicago Art Access: Edward Hopper & Nighthawks
- Edward Hopper House - History
