Hopper analysis at CityLit

I think many of us find a fascination in the life that is portrayed in many of Edward Hopper's paintings particularly the lonely city-scapes.

 On Saturday I spent most of the day finding out about Hopper, his paintings and what was going on in US painting at the time of his peak activity by courtesy  of Rachel Sanders who lead the class at City Lit.

Loneliness is significant in the city and countryside paintings -many have no people and even those where there are people there are often just a few lonely and disconnected people often uncomfortable couples - the railway and buildings are part of Hopper's vocabulary.

Ahead of the session I did a little research into the work he is famed for and was fascinated to learn of his antagonism to his wife and the nature of his misanthropic behaviour.

Josephine (Hopper's wife) seems to have resented to an extent the degree to which she sacrificed her own career to him and for Edward he appears to have resented that his life mirrored to an extent that of his parents and there unhappiness.

House at Dusk (1939)

Although Josephine was the model for many of the females that Edward depicted an element of an earlier love is part of the 'woman' he features in his works.  


We looked at the artist in the context of what was going in American art around the time of the depression (The Ashcan school was mentioned) -we didn't dwell on the sexual tension shown in many of the pictures or the often used 'lighthouse'- I suppose having visited Freud's London Museum earlier on the week I thought that such parts of his life would be significant.

Room in New York (1932)

Hopper spent a long time making studies for his work sometimes as many as 50 - there is a connection (which seems to work both ways) between the style of Hopper's paintings and ' Film Noir'.


The 'eye' that Hopper uses often has a suggestion of Voyeurism and the women are often exhibiting sexuality frequently behind windows.

Nice Youtubes on Hopper, Nighthawks analysis and an interpretation (from his wife's Diaries) of how Jo might have thought about her married life .

Unlike many artists Hopper once he'd discovered his style seems to hold fast to it - my comment would be that he depicts his life lonely both with and without his wife  he died in 1967 her the next year.

Money - getaway 

The two hundred is within reach

Now am talking about  £192 50p