Edward Hopper: The Watercolors

by Edward Hopper, Virginia M. Mecklenburg

The first major work on the exquisite watercolors of America's foremost and most popular realist painter. Edward Hopper has been celebrated for over half a century as America's most eloquent realist artist. His best known oils, such as Nighthawks , Early Sunday Morning , and House by a Railroad , are powerful psychological statements that convey a sense of angst and alienation.

Yet there is another Hopper we know less well: the freer, more spontaneous spirit that emerges in his watercolors. In 1923 he spent a summer in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and began painting houses, landscapes, and fishing boats. In them he captures remnants of nineteenth-century America that for him symbolized the fundamental character of the country's people and places, and prompted him to reexamine his views about the relationship between the past and the modern. Over the next two decades, Hopper painted hundreds of watercolors, in Gloucester, the coast of Maine, New Mexico, and Cape Cod.

This beautiful book reproduces and examines over one hundred of Hopper's greatest watercolors in the context of his life and travels. It is an indispensable book for anyone interested in American art. 101 four-color and 40 black-and-white illustrations. 101 four-color and 40 black-and-white illustrations

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. In both his urban and rural scenes, his spare and finely calculated renderings reflected his personal vision of modern American life.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlights of landscape photography from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Beautifully rendered photographs on a full page with a brief essay about the photo on the facing page. The book is organized alphabetically by the photographer's name (with "unidentified artist" under 'U'"). This might seem chaotic (for example, a 1982 photo of the New Jersey Meadowlands and Manhattan skyline is followed by an 1872 albumen print of Yosemite Valley), but instead it has the effect of focusing full attention on each individual photograph.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite done with reading, but writing style is very readable and informative. Lots of large color photos of paintings are included, some printed in black and white. Helpful to learn what other artists were working in the vicinity at the time of Hopper's work, as well as the various public events and Congressional regulations that were passed relating to the subjects he was painting.

It has also been interesting to see how (over time) and who helped him promote his career, since he seemed so totally unsuited to the gym ask.