The People Of Edward Hopper Paintings

The pictures painted by Edward Hopper illustrate aspects of life in American cities in the twentieth century. Most of the scenes contain only a few human subjects who are sometimes communicating with one another in a superficial fashion. Edward Hopper paintings are realistic but do not contain much detail of the scenes or the people.

Hopper is often concerned with the effects of light or the outline of buildings or furniture. Harsh light and bold lines often serve to increase the sense of loneliness and sometimes introduce a sense of menace into a painting.

The overall impression is one of loneliness and desolation and this emanates both from the human figures and the settings in which they are shown. Sometimes this feeling of desolation may be enhanced by the use of light, which in the paintings of Hopper is often the artificial light of a restaurant, bar or hotel.

Another aspect of these works is the vulnerability of the human figures that often seem lost and helpless in the night. The viewpoint of the person looking at the painting could also be the viewpoint of someone who is viewing the scene with sinister or criminal motives.

In Edward Hopper Nighthawks many of these aspects of Hopper works are present. The bar is lit brightly and the windows are open to the street without any curtains or blinds to protect the privacy of customers. The figures inside are hardly communicating with each other and the loneliness of this scene gives rise to a discouraging mood.

The picture has a menacing aspect because the lack of privacy inside the bar could also be interpreted as vulnerability to any menace that may be lurking outside on the street. The viewer of the picture is also looking at the scene from outside the windows and this adds to the impression that the subjects of this painting are being watched.

In another painting by Hopper called Automat a woman is shown drinking tea or coffee in a restaurant against the background of darkness outside the window. The dark combined with the winter clothes of the subject give a cold feeling to the scene. The lights of the restaurant are shown as a reflection in the window, moving out into the darkness outside.

This scene also contains aspects of menace and vulnerability partly due to the way in which the person at the table is exposed to the view of anyone outside in the darkness. There is nothing to maintain the privacy of customers and they could be watched by anyone passing outside the establishment.

A painting with the title Chop Suey is a picture set in the daytime in a restaurant. Two women dressed in clothes that are quite similar sit at a table opposite each other. There are other patrons in the establishment but these two figures appear rather isolated at their table by the window. The sunlight falls on the scene in a way that does not lighten the depressing mood.

In Edward Hopper paintings the ordinary scenes set in bars or offices show how people can be lonely in the middle of a city. This sense of alienation in twentieth century life is captured by these works. The paintings can therefore be seen as a kind of social history of the period.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com