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Introduction
Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in capturing American life and landscapes through his art. Born in Nyack, New York, to a middle-class family, Hopper's early exposure to art was nurtured by his parents. He studied at the New York School of Art under William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri, where he developed his signature style, characterized by its emphasis on solitude, light, and shadow. Hopper's work, spanning oil paintings, watercolors, and etchings, predominantly explores themes of loneliness and isolation within American urban and rural settings. His most famous painting, Nighthawks (1942), epitomizes his interest in the quiet, introspective moments of everyday life. Despite a slow start, Hopper achieved significant recognition by the 1920s, with his work becoming a staple in major American museums. Hopper's technique, marked by a composition of form and use of light to evoke mood, has been influential in the art world and popular culture. His paintings, often set in the architectural landscapes of New York or the serene environments of New England, convey a sense of narrative depth and emotional resonance, making him a pivotal figure in American Realism. Hopper created subdued drama out of commonplace subjects layered with a poetic meaning, inviting narrative interpretations. He was praised for "complete verity" in the America he portrayed. In 1924, Hopper married Josephine Nivison, also an artist, who played a crucial role in managing his career and served as the model for many of his figures. The couple lived a modest life in New York City, with summers spent in Cape Cod, which influenced much of Hopper's later work. Despite his success, Hopper remained a private and introspective individual, dedicated to exploring the subtleties of human experience and the American landscape. His depiction of the American scene, with its emphasis on isolation and contemplation, remains a defining aspect of his appeal and significance in the history of American art.
Wikidata
Q203401
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Introduction
Hopper was one of the premier Realist painters of the 1930s and 1940s. In 1900, Hopper studied portrait and still-life painting with William Merritt Chase, but he preferred to take classes with Kenneth Hayes Miller and Robert Henri. In 1906, Hopper worked as a part-time illustrator, but by autumn of that year he went to Paris to study the work of European artists. His painting from this period and soon after reflects the influence of "plein air" painting and Impressionism. Hopper continued to work as an illustrator, garnering more critical and commercial success with it than painting, although he loathed this work. By 1925, Hopper began to develop his signature, where the focus is on only one or two solitary figures often consumed by vast outdoors spaces or cramped city streets. His landscapes also evoke a similar haunting loneliness. One of Hopper's most well known works is a poignant portrayal of urban alienation, "The Night Hawks" (1942). With the emergence of Abstract Expressionism in the 1940s, Hopper's work was seen as illustrative and obsolete. Pop Art and PhotoComment on works: realism resurrected his reputation. American artist. Comment on works: realism
Nationality
American
Gender
Male
Roles
Artist, Publicist, Engraver, Etcher, Illustrator, Painter
Names
Edward Hopper, Hopper [rejected]
Ulan
500031212
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Information from Getty’s Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License

Works

20 works online

Exhibitions

View all 79 exhibitions

Publications

  • MoMA Highlights: 375 Works from The Museum of Modern Art Introduction by Glenn D. Lowry, 2019 Flexibound, 408 pages
  • MoMA Now: Highlights from The Museum of Modern Art—Ninetieth Anniversary Edition Introduction by Glenn D. Lowry, 2019 Hardcover, 424 pages
  • Lincoln Kirstein's Modern Samantha Friedman and Jodi Hauptman, 2019 Exhibition catalogue, Hardcover, 208 pages
  • Being Modern: Building the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art Edited by Quentin Bajac, 2017 Exhibition catalogue, Hardcover, 288 pages
  • Edward Hopper Alfred H. Barr, Jr., 1933 Clothbound, pages
  • Edward Hopper Alfred H. Barr, Jr., 1933 Paperback, pages
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