Edward Hopper: The Art and the Artist

by Whitney Museum of American Art, Gail Levin, Edward Hopper (Artist)

This sumptuous book presents the full range of Edward Hopper's work and offers greater access to Edward Hopper, the man, than any other single volume. Hopper is generally considered the major twentieth-century realist. Such paintings as House by the Railroad, Early Sunday Morning, and Nighthawks seem to embody the very character of our time. Yet few people have penetrated the mask of Hopper's public image. Here, Gail Levin has gone beyond the standard evaluations of the man and his work to investigate the authentic identity of the artist and the way his personality informed his art. She has uncovered aspects of Hopper's life (and even unknown works) that provide the first comprehensive view of the artists early development.

The fascinating and often poignant story of Hopper's long struggle for recognition gives new insight into his later pessimism. A complex man is revealed, introspective and intellectual, yet romantic, illuminating the many levels of meaning in the paintings of his maturity.In addition to Hopper's watercolors and oil paintings, there are study drawings for his major works and documentary photographs illuminating all phases of his life.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Art and Photography, Biography Memoir

299 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1981

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comprehensive collection of Edward Hopper's artwork was published to accompany the Whitney Museum exhibition in 1980. There is quite a bit in here, including his famous window-shades and the lonely lighthouses. While I always associated Hopper with a 2 AM soul, I was pleasantly surprised to find his bright daytime paintings, before the realist pessimism seeped through.

He wasn't all lonely night owl cafes. He also did WWI posters,



Yawls



And Satan!



Book Season = Spring (pastels)

[Michael Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary summary of Edward Hopper's art and artistic life. Gail Levin is now established as a world-class expert in this important artist's work and background, and in this book we see her ability to digest a large volume of work.

The plates are also amazing - great artwork -, but even better is the juxtaposition on the same two-page spread of the finished artwork with its preliminary sketches and drawings. This makes this volume both an art exhibit and a tutorial in creating great art, Edward Hopper style.

Highly recommended to any art lover.

[David Abrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could stare at these paintings for hours, and still discover new layers of the Master's brushstrokes.

I could have done with more textual material from Levin, but nonetheless she proves to be a capable, authoritative docent for our tour through the gallery.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short introduction to the painter that includes color reproductions of his work ordered thematically including earlier work. The small b&w reproduction of one of his wife's paintings leaves me curious about Josephine Hopper, but her art is only briefly mentioned here. (There doesn't seem to be anything at all online about her, but there is a study of her work including slides listed at the Whitney where the majority of Hoppers paintings now reside.) Edward Hopper's first success came at the insistence of Josephine that he work in watercolor and enter a show that she was participating in. He became a critical focus of the show, while her work was mostly ignored.

The author does a good job of explaining how Hopper's style was formed, his influences, his relationship to the impressionists, and delves a little bit into Hopper's personal life: his preference for solitude, for instance. Also discussed is how Hopper became defined as an artist with a distinctly American style, at a time when it was important for artists to distinguish themselves from European artists.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book. I didn't know a lot about Hopper going into this book, but now I feel like I know more, and have a greater appreciation for his art. It was interesting to read that there was a period when Americans fretted about having a unique, American style of art. I hadn't realized that before. And the debate about whether American themes are as relative as European things mirrors the one in Canada when the Group of Seven came to prominence. And interesting read overall, and it was nice to see a greater spectrum of Hopper's work - I mostly knew Nighthawks before this.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a fabulous book of Hopper paintings, with many of the drawings that he made in preparation for painting. The narrative is roughly divided into two parts, the first a mini-biography that concentrates on his early life and training. The second part is a wonderfully informative discussion of his work, organized by theme. The reproductions of the paintings (more than 400) are arranged by theme.

Highly, highly recommended.

[Gary Sites · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Hopper's work, this is a must have. This thing is chocked full of nicely printed plates. Organized in an easy to follow fashion. Love it.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights into Hopper's process and an extensive catalogue of his work.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well-done overview of Hopper's life and career, based on holdings of his work at the Whitney. I enjoyed the collection and well as the commentary.

[Carrie Cantalupo-Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sumptuous!

[Howard Frisk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like everyone else, I was familiar with Edward Hoppers most famous painting, Nighthawks. I purchased this book mostly to see what else he had produced during his lifetime. I was surprised to find landscapes, seascapes, portraits as well as his famous urban scenes. The book also includes numerous sketches of a wide variety of subjects.

[Paul Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful retrospective on Edward Hopper's career includes a biography and multiple sketches of many of the paintings. Beautiful color plates for a broad overview of his work, ordered according to subject (ie. travel, places, etc.).