Edward Hopper's New York

by Avis Berman, Avis Berman

Illustrated by over 50 of Edward Hopper's most powerful evocations of New York, Avis Berman's essay explores how Hopper and his work illuminate each other by analyzing what his New York is - and is not. Ever the contrarian, he offers an alternative to what other American artists seized on - the new, the gigantic, the technologically exciting. Hopper stayed away from tourist attractions or landmarks of the city's glamorous skyline. His preference for nondescript vernacular buildings is emblematic of the larger Hopper paradox: he makes emptiness full, silence articulate, banality intense, plainness mysterious, and tawdriness noble.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

112 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

Avis Berman is a writer and art historian. She directs the oral history project of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.

Reviews

[Saptarishi Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book overall, nice quality prints and colors. The write-up is pretty nice, but it left me wanting to read more about Hopper's life.

[Alvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up with museum prints depicting many of Hopper's works, one of my Mother's favorite artists. My wife and I read this book together, in part because we now have prints of several Hopper paintings. How interesting it was to learn about New York through Hopper as well as the relationships among his pieces. Berman did an excellent job as guide: her writing enabled Hopper to speak for himself.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“New York Pavements is cropped like a photograph on all four sides the lower and upper stories of the building and part of the nurse's body have been eliminated to increase the effectiveness of the architectural mass and the diagonal lines. The woman and her charge seem to be rushing by, almost as if they had stepped into the image by accident.”

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a lovely little book. I'm no art historian and lack the critical skills in that field to assess this book in a meaningful way. But it seemed to me a good primer on Hopper and his work, with numerous and well-reproduced examples of his work. It's short by design, and left me wanting more. But I enjoyed it a great deal and was sorry when it ended.