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Health & Fitness

Edward Hopper still rules

Discover the genius of Edward Hopper.


   The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend saw me driving into New York City in the rain.  I was celebrating one of those “threshold” birthdays, and used it as an excuse to get my wife to take me to The City for some culture and just hanging around.

   Our visit happened to coincide with the installation of the bicycle “kiosks” for the new Bike Share program.  The neighbors who lost parking and sidewalk space were none-too-happy with this pointless feel-good program infringing on already dismal parking.  After seeing the Geekazoid bicycles I concluded that the only result of this program would be the thinning of the herd of middle-aged tourists who have not ridden a bike for twenty years. 

   I’m not done on this subject.  What is most amazing about the Bike Share program is that helmets are not required.  This is somewhat shocking coming from a Mayor who is trying to outlaw sodas larger than 16 ounces.  Nanny Bloomberg!  Shame on you for not trampling on the rights of bicycle riders who cannot be trusted to look out for their own safety.  Since when is a large backside more worrisome than a brain injury?  But I digress from my actual reason for writing this post.

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   My brother Chris and his wife joined us for the opening weekend of the Edward Hopper Exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art.  The Whitney is on Madison and 75th—just far enough out of mid-town that we could find on-street parking with no meters--an amazing feat in NYC.  The day was starting out great and only got better as we entered the museum for one of the most interesting exhibits I have ever seen.

   Edward Hopper (1882-1967) is probably best known (amongst non-Hopper fans) for his iconic painting Nighthawks 1942.  Strangely, it is not emblematic of most of his work and when one sees his paintings of rooftops in Truro, or the many sunlit scenes both inside and out Nighthawks is a departure of sorts.  I was fortunate to have seen an Edward Hopper exhibit a few years back when the Boston Museum of Fine Art put on a fantastic exhibit of his works cobbled together from multiple public and private collections.  What that exhibit lacked was what the Whitney was able to show—his study sketches.

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   You see, Edward Hopper did not enjoy commercial success early in his career but a few lucky breaks and a show at the precursor to the Whitney and subsequently more shows at the Whitney gave him the exposure he needed and his art was able to sustain him without taking the commercial illustration work he so disliked.  The Hoppers did not forget the boost they received from the Whitney and on his wife Josephine’s death she bequeathed all 3,000 of Edward’s works—mostly study sketches—to the Whitney.

   The Whitney’s exhibit of Hopper’s works consisted of a variety of his paintings (including Nighthawks—under heavy guard) with the sketches he made in anticipation of each painting arrayed in front of the final product.  In many cases, there were only study sketches of some of his most famous works, but alas, not all of his more famous paintings could be had for the exhibit.  A passing familiarity with his more well known works is all you need to appreciate the sketches.

   At first blush Hopper’s works are simple, spare and focused on his subject.  There is precious little distraction, yet the sketches demonstrate the depth of his thought into each element of his work.  My reaction to seeing his sketches was similar to discovering his art again but with Hopper as my guide.  It was ever so satisfying.  Allow me to urge anyone reading this to get to the Whitney as soon as humanly possible to see this unique show.

   I don’t want this post to be a recitation of the myriad sketches and paintings I saw, but instead I want to discuss just two.  Hopper painted many scenes without people, but one painting done near the end of his career and his life is at the Whitney—Sun in an Empty Room 1963 (coincidentally, the year I entered the world).  It was the last painting I saw at the Boston show and was the last one on display at the Whitney.  The title is perfectly descriptive of the work.  No people.  No furniture.  No objects—just the sun shining through a window onto the walls and floor of an empty room.  Was Hopper telling us “I’m done?”  I like to think so, because what a statement to make with your art.  No words, no press conference, just a painting. Yes, I know he painted a few works after that so don’t jump ugly on me.  Maybe he didn’t think he would paint another…

   The other painting I want to discuss, for my own curiosity, is entitled Soir Bleu 1914.  He painted this after returning from Paris in his relative youth and well before he attained any success as an artist.  I have appended an image of this painting to this post.  Let me say that it is one of my least favorite works he ever painted and one can understand why this piece did not catapult him into fame and fortune.   The only thing that caught my eye, and has been bothering me since my visit, is one of the men in the scene.  It looks like Vincent van Gogh.  Was Hopper trying to depict van Gogh? He was long since dead before Hopper could ever have met him—but still a giant in the Parisian art world.  I tried to find some scholarly articles on this work that might answer my question but I can find nothing.  Thus my plea to someone out there who has more knowledge of Hopper or perhaps better research skills (or more patience) than I possess.

   Trust me when I tell you that this question was not burning a hole in the rest of my day in The City as we strolled through SOHO and quenched our thirst at various welcoming pubs.  After my wallet was sexually assaulted at the parking lot we selected in SOHO we departed for my brother’s house in Long Island for a great dinner cooked by my sister-in-law whose culinary skills are legendary.  Great day.  Best Memorial Day weekend in a long time.  I may turn fifty again next year.

 


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