Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Hopper

In April, I visited the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, CT.  Really not expecting much in a small town museum, I was pleasantly surprised by their wonderful collection of American art.  Originally, I was interested in an Edward Hopper painting that I knew they had because of an online visit to the museum.  Unfortunately, the Hopper was on loan to another museum, but not to worry, the museum was still a treat.  If you are anywhere close to New Britain, CT, I recommend this "not so little" museum of American art.  What a collection they have!
I did purchase a book about Hopper entitled, Edward Hopper, Light and Dark.  The book is filled with beautiful colorplates and is well-written by Gerry Souter, an artist and professional author with over twenty books to his credit.  Not knowing much about Hopper's background, the book is both interesting and informative.  Hopper was a tall man at six feet and five inches.  Josephine, his wife of 43 years and model for almost all of his paintings of women, was only five feet, one inch tall.  She too was an artist, but like so many others in her position, was overshadowed by her famous husband. 
Hopper's mother was the one who encouraged his early interest in the arts and provided him with copious amounts of supplies.  His career began as a commercial illustrator, but he soon turned to fine art and was accepted at the New York School of Art, studying with William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri.  Henri had studied with William Adolphe Bouguereau in Paris.  This connection brought Henri from a tight trompe l'oeil style to loose, broad brushstrokes.  This reflected in Hopper's work as well and these early paintings began to show hints of his minimalist approach and his use of highly contrasting areas of light and deep shadow to block up masses and form. 
I have always admired Hopper's simplicity, his loose brushwork, and his ability to create depth and form with high contrast of light and dark.
In the last blog, I wrote about the white rose painting and the importance of light and shadow and the use of high contrast.  The painting that I have included this time is another  in a series of white roses.  It is an oil painting, 16" x 20", painted from a personal photograph, now on view at The Artist Gallery in Virginia Beach.

1 comment:

  1. Hi, Kay. I FINALLY visited your blog - very nice! Your paintings always amaze and mesmorize me...just love them.
    Hope to see you soon.
    Maria
    FrameWorx Art Gallerie
    + custom frame studio

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