Hopper's Places

by Gail Levin

In the acclaimed first edition of Hopper's Places , Gail Levin paired paintings by Edward Hopper with her photographs of the subjects of paintings done in New York and environs, Maine, Gloucester, and Cape Cod to demonstrate how Hopper made art of everyday scenes and how he sometimes made intentional changes from what he observed. For this new edition, Levin has added documentary photographs and Hopper's paintings of sites in Paris, where he painted for several years as a young man, Charleston, Mexico, and the western U.S. to give a broader view of the range of his work and the power with which he transformed his subjects while still remaining faithful to their essential features.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 1989

About the author

Distinguished Professor of Art History, Baruch College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is first and foremost a book of physical beauty--a joy to hold in your hand, to turn the pages, to feel the heft of. It's everything a digital version of lacks, reminding the reader there are reasons to savor the act of reading, far beyond the content on the pages. I sit by my woodstove and savor slowly turning of pages.

The author knows Edward Hopper and his works, and her dedication to this project grows from a long career of study and immersion. Beyond that, her personal investment of actually identifying, traveling to, and photographing the sites of his works speaks of a deeper level of commitment than simple intellectual curiosity. This is well reflected in her notes accompanying the images.

The result is a story that is about far more than a collection of artworks. We learn here of the person, the human being, that was Edward Hopper.

Those of us who seek to learn more about the world of art and artists are well-rewarded by a book like this.

[Kandace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read the hardcover version published by Alfred Knopf, though that edition in goodreads was missing an image so I'll log this one instead. A fantastic, slim volume with photographs Levin took of sites Hopper painted fifty years after he completed his paintings. Written in accessible language I loved how the book pored over ideas about what Hopper must have been thinking when he selected particular buildings, homes, structures to paint (he was super into a specific kind of roof - go figure). A lovely way to see an artist/scholar think through the eyes of another artist. Oh, to have someone that obsessed with my paintings! The full color plates are great, wish there were more!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter Sarah got the 1985 edition of this book from a neighbor and gave it to me before we went to see the Hopper exhibit at the Whitney - it was a great background read. I did not have time to check out all the NYC sights he painted to see if they had been altered even more than they had been by 1985 but reading the book still gave me a new perspective on how art captures fleeting views that time erases.

[Martha Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written to be understood by anyone. She presents photographs she took in the 1970's alongside Hopper's paintings of the same places 50 years before, then describes the differences. Very helpful in guiding the reader to examine the paintings.