Edward Hopper Masterpieces of Art

by Rosalind Ormiston

This glorious book allows the reader to revel in Hopper s most well-known and masterful works, reproduced one after the other, often at full page, in full colour; but it also enables you to rediscover the artist, to delve further than the obvious paintings in order to fully understand his motivations, and then to reassess his works in a fresh light. Before the Masterpieces section, some thoughtful text discusses Hopper from a number of angles, laying the groundwork with Life & Times, travelling through the Places that inspired him, examining his key Subjects & Themes, and explaining the Styles & Techniques by which he was influenced or to which he subscribed, not forgetting his lasting legacy. All the while his works are cross-referenced, so you get the most out of the paintings. Whether the treatment of light and sense of place of Lighthouse at Two Lights appeals to your senses, or you are captivated by the untold story of the pensive woman in Automat, Edward Hopper Masterpieces will be a book to treasure and revisit."

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2012

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Hopper's paintings a beautifully reproduced here. The first 27 pages is an overview of Hopper's career, but the author tends to repeat ideas here, so you read about some things more than once even though there aren't that many pages to fill. My rating here is probably higher than it should be, but I wanted to give five stars for Hopper's paintings and three stars for the text, so I settled on a four star rating.

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

It’s all about the light, few if any capture crepuscular moments of solitude and contemplation, with such profound poignancy and intensity in the way that Hopper does. He expresses so many facets of light, that he is just lovely to marvel at, the visual equivalent of coming across a cosy fire on a cold night in the woods.

We really get the feel of transitory people in transitory places, lost in reflection, isolated, introspective, their melancholic moods almost contagious as they draw us deeper into their strangely alluring worlds.

So often these canvases seize all the elements of voyeurism and isolation and bathe them in a majestic twilight, giving them a power and magnetism, far exceeding the sum of their parts. The cast of light creeping across the likes of “Early Sunday Morning” is just so beautiful. The way that so many of these seem to haunt as much as they mesmerise, only makes them all the more special.

The presentation deserves full marks too, this is nicely bound and the quality of the prints certainly does justice to the man’s work. We get a basic yet thorough enough background into Hopper and his life, we see that his work would go onto be hugely influential, not just in painting, but in the cinematic world too with the likes of Hitchcock, Ridley Scott and Tim Burton and many others. This is a lovely collection and a worthwhile tribute to the memory and work of one of the finest painters of the 20th Century.

[Wsclai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book for fans of Edward Hopper. It includes texts about Hopper’s life, his works and his artistic style. An extensive collection of his oil paintings and watercolour.

[Ralph Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hopper’s painting have a sad, melancholic feel and I spent an awful lot of time wondering why. Eventually, I seized upon how they portray America. They show houses, hotels, bars and railroads, which appear deserted and when people appear, they are often sitting down or resting as if finding themselves at a loss. America, it seems to Hopper, is the age of too much and nothing at all.

[sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4,5/5

[Paul Rubin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine combination of text and art. A good introduction to Hopper.

[Ostap Bender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flame Tree Publishing does great work with their ‘Masterpieces’ series. My average review score has more to do with Hopper’s work being hit and miss with me, than the format, which is great. Ormiston’s introduction provides a lot of information about Hopper’s life, influences, and approach, with references to the works which follow, but she does it in a way that’s not overwhelming. A couple of things stuck out for me. The first was just how hard it is to be an artist! Hopper wasn’t an extreme case as he received parental support, but as he didn’t sell his first painting until he was 29, and then not another one for 10 more years, one can imagine the perseverance and courage it took. He finally established himself at age 41 with ‘The Mansard Roof’ in 1923. The other thing was ‘House by the Railroad’, 1925, having inspired the Bates’s house in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic movie, ‘Psycho’; I had never heard that before.

Hopper’s works are stark and unemotional, consistent with him saying that “the aim of painting is to create the most exact transcription of the most intimate impression of nature.” The subjects he chose, in landscapes, cityscapes, and interiors, feel lonely and isolated, with a quietness about them. Certainly worth having a look.

Favorites:
Night on the El Train, 1918
Night in the Park, 1921
The Mansard Roof, 1923
New York Pavements, 1924
Self-Portrait, 1925-30
Automat, 1927 (probably my favorite of all)
Night Windows, 1928
Chop Suey, 1929
Compartment C, Car 293, 1938
Cape Cod Evening, 1939
New York Movie, 1939
Nighthawks, 1942
Monterrey Cathedral, Mexico, 1943
Summer Evening, 1947

Missing in this collection:
Lighthouse Hill, 1927 (I find superior to The Lighthouse at Two Lights, 1929, which is included)
Office at Night, 1940