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==Development==
==Development==
By the 1960s, at end of his career, Hopper was slowly producing approximately two paintings a year, usually consisting of one finished work in the spring and one in the fall.<ref name="odoh">O'Doherty, Brian (1973). "Hopper's Voice". [https://archive.org/details/americanmastersv00bria ''American Masters: The Voice and the Myth'']. New York: Random House. pp. 12-43. {{ISBN|9780394464237}}. {{OCLC|1080825254}}.</ref> He began working on what would become two of his last four paintings in 1963. From March to April of that year, Hopper completed one of his largest paintings, ''Intermission''. At the age of 81, Hopper began working on ''Sun in an Empty Room'' in October 1963.<ref name="lev"/><ref name="odoh"/> Art critic [[Brian O'Doherty]] (1928–2022) and photographer [[Hans Namuth]] (1915–1990) documented the initial preparation and creation of the work at Hopper's [[Cape Cod]] summer home and studio in [[Truro, Massachusetts|South Truro, Massachusetts]].<ref name="lev"/><ref name="odoh"/>
By the end of his career, Hopper had produced over 800 works in total, but his output was measured and methodical. He would spend months deliberating a work before even beginning to paint. It once took him several years before he could even paint an image of a cloud in the sky.<ref name="ber">Berman, Avis (July 2007). [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/hopper-156346356/ "Hopper: The Supreme American Realist of the 20th-Century"]. ''Smithsonian Magazine''. Retrieved January 23, 2024.</ref> By the 1960s, Hopper was slowly producing approximately two paintings a year, usually consisting of one finished work in the spring and one in the fall.<ref name="odoh">O'Doherty, Brian (1973). "Hopper's Voice". [https://archive.org/details/americanmastersv00bria ''American Masters: The Voice and the Myth'']. New York: Random House. pp. 12-43. {{ISBN|9780394464237}}. {{OCLC|1080825254}}.</ref> He began working on what would become two of his last four paintings in 1963. From March to April of that year, Hopper completed one of his largest paintings, ''Intermission''. At the age of 81, Hopper began working on ''Sun in an Empty Room'' in October 1963.<ref name="lev"/><ref name="odoh"/> Art critic [[Brian O'Doherty]] (1928–2022) and photographer [[Hans Namuth]] (1915–1990) documented the initial preparation and creation of the work at Hopper's [[Cape Cod]] summer home and studio in [[Truro, Massachusetts|South Truro, Massachusetts]].<ref name="lev"/><ref name="odoh"/>


Like his painting ''[[Early Sunday Morning]]'' (1930), which once had a figure in a window but was later painted out,<ref name="tro">Troyen, Carol (2007). "'A Stranger Worth Talking to': Profiles and Portraits of Edward Hopper". In Troyen, Carol, Kelly, Franklin, Barter, Judith A. [https://archive.org/details/edwardhopper0000unse ''Edward Hopper'']. MFA Publications. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. {{ISBN|9780878467136}}. {{OCLC|129510490}}.</ref> Hopper originally had planned for a figure in an early sketch for ''Sun in an Empty Room'', but it was also removed, as it was too big.<ref name="odoh"/> The work shares elements in common with earlier Hopper paintings, such as ''Summer Interior'' (1909), ''Eleven A.M.'' (1926) and ''Room in Brooklyn'' (1932), but is thought to be a continuation of the themes first explored in his previous work, ''Rooms by the Sea'' (1951), which also shows an empty room with light coming in.<ref name="tro"/>{{efn-lg|name=jh|group=note|American poet John Hollander (1929–2013) also refers to the connection to ''Rooms by the Sea'' in his poem "Sun in an Empty Room" (1995): "It may recall / An earlier glimpse of emptiness, a corner / Of a room by the sea, opening seemingly / Onto an uncontainable expanse of ocean"<ref>Hollander, John; Weber, Joanna (2001). [https://artgallery.yale.edu/sites/default/files/publication/pdfs/ag-doc-2152-0001-doc.pdf ''Words for Images: A Gallery of Poems'']. New Haven: Yale University Art Gallery. pp. 72-75. {{ISBN|9780894670961}}. {{OCLC|46321100}}.</ref> }}
Like his painting ''[[Early Sunday Morning]]'' (1930), which once had a figure in a window but was later painted out,<ref name="tro">Troyen, Carol (2007). "'A Stranger Worth Talking to': Profiles and Portraits of Edward Hopper". In Troyen, Carol, Kelly, Franklin, Barter, Judith A. [https://archive.org/details/edwardhopper0000unse ''Edward Hopper'']. MFA Publications. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. {{ISBN|9780878467136}}. {{OCLC|129510490}}.</ref> Hopper originally had planned for a figure in an early sketch for ''Sun in an Empty Room'', but it was also removed, as it was too big.<ref name="odoh"/> The work shares elements in common with earlier Hopper paintings, such as ''Summer Interior'' (1909), ''Eleven A.M.'' (1926) and ''Room in Brooklyn'' (1932), but is thought to be a continuation of the themes first explored in his previous work, ''Rooms by the Sea'' (1951), which also shows an empty room with light coming in.<ref name="tro"/>{{efn-lg|name=jh|group=note|American poet John Hollander (1929–2013) also refers to the connection to ''Rooms by the Sea'' in his poem "Sun in an Empty Room" (1995): "It may recall / An earlier glimpse of emptiness, a corner / Of a room by the sea, opening seemingly / Onto an uncontainable expanse of ocean"<ref>Hollander, John; Weber, Joanna (2001). [https://artgallery.yale.edu/sites/default/files/publication/pdfs/ag-doc-2152-0001-doc.pdf ''Words for Images: A Gallery of Poems'']. New Haven: Yale University Art Gallery. pp. 72-75. {{ISBN|9780894670961}}. {{OCLC|46321100}}.</ref> }}

Revision as of 20:32, 23 January 2024

Sun in an Empty Room
ArtistEdward Hopper
Year1963
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions28.75 by 39.5 inches (73.0 cm × 100.3 cm)
LocationPrivate collection
Washington, D.C.[1]

Sun in an Empty Room is a 1963 painting by American realist Edward Hopper (1882–1967). It is a late period painting completed at his Cape Cod summer home and studio in South Truro, Massachusetts, just four years before his death at age 84. The work depicts a room, seemingly empty, except for light coming through a window, reflecting along the walls and floor. Leaves on a tree or bush can be seen just outside the window.[2]

Background

American realist Edward Hopper (1882–1967) was intensely focused on light, and it played a primary theme and subject in his work. Early in his career, after he left art school, he supported himself by working as a commercial artist, at first in an advertising agency. Tired of illustrating figures required for his paid work, he once famously remarked, "What I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house."[3] This lifelong interest in sunlight is found not just in his subjects, but also in many of his titles. Morning Sun (1952), City Sunlight (1954), Sunlight on Brownstone (1956), Sunlight in a Cafeteria (1958), People in the Sun (1960), Second-Story Sunlight (1960), and A Woman in the Sun (1961) are just some examples of this shared theme.[3]

Development

By the end of his career, Hopper had produced over 800 works in total, but his output was measured and methodical. He would spend months deliberating a work before even beginning to paint. It once took him several years before he could even paint an image of a cloud in the sky.[4] By the 1960s, Hopper was slowly producing approximately two paintings a year, usually consisting of one finished work in the spring and one in the fall.[5] He began working on what would become two of his last four paintings in 1963. From March to April of that year, Hopper completed one of his largest paintings, Intermission. At the age of 81, Hopper began working on Sun in an Empty Room in October 1963.[6][5] Art critic Brian O'Doherty (1928–2022) and photographer Hans Namuth (1915–1990) documented the initial preparation and creation of the work at Hopper's Cape Cod summer home and studio in South Truro, Massachusetts.[6][5]

Like his painting Early Sunday Morning (1930), which once had a figure in a window but was later painted out,[7] Hopper originally had planned for a figure in an early sketch for Sun in an Empty Room, but it was also removed, as it was too big.[5] The work shares elements in common with earlier Hopper paintings, such as Summer Interior (1909), Eleven A.M. (1926) and Room in Brooklyn (1932), but is thought to be a continuation of the themes first explored in his previous work, Rooms by the Sea (1951), which also shows an empty room with light coming in.[7][α]

While working on the painting, Hopper told O'Doherty that he had been curious about the idea of an empty room for some time, and had previously considered what it would be like to represent a scene with no observer. "When we were at school, [Guy Pène du Bois] and Rockwell Kent and others debated what a room looked like when there was nobody to see it, nobody looking in even."[9]

Interpretation

Throughout his career, Hopper said and wrote almost nothing about the meaning of his work, and from what he did say, there is conflicting information. In one letter, Hopper said he thought that art is an "expression of the subconscious",[10] and he believed that artists were unaware or unconscious of the most important aspects of their work. And yet, six years after this letter, Hopper wrote that his work "has always been the most exact transcription possible of my most intimate impressions of nature."[10]

Art historian Katharine Kuh notes that Hopper refused to analyze his late work, believing that meaning was lost by talking about it. Instead, he would say "The whole answer is there on the canvas".[11] In spite of this, critics believe that the painting is the most autobiographical of Hopper's works.[11] In his personal notebook, Hopper wrote, "Sun in an Empty Room. Green bushes outside window. White light + uncompromising shadow. Stark."[6] Art critic Brian O'Doherty once asked Hopper "what he was after" in the painting. Hopper responded, "I'm after me."[12]

Style

Critics and art historians believe that Hopper's work represents more than just his personal vision, but is part of a larger modern American realist movement rooted in regionalism. Lloyd Goodrich of the Whitney Museum of American Art once classified Hopper's style as that of an "American Scene" painter, a term which was originally coined by Henry James (1843–1916) for his controversial book The American Scene (1907). In spite of these critical assessments, Hopper refused to accept any connection with the American Scene movement during his life.[13]

Sun in an Empty Room is reduced to its simplest elements of light and shadow. Because of this, critics often attempted to compare Hopper's late period works to the more modern style of 20th century abstract art, but Hopper adamantly refused to accept or acknowledge this comparison.[14]

Legacy

Many writers and artists have referred to the painting in their work. American poet John Hollander (1929–2013) published a poem about the painting,[15] and in other work, defends Hopper from his critics and portrays Hopper as following in the tradition of Ralph Waldo Emerson.[10]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ American poet John Hollander (1929–2013) also refers to the connection to Rooms by the Sea in his poem "Sun in an Empty Room" (1995): "It may recall / An earlier glimpse of emptiness, a corner / Of a room by the sea, opening seemingly / Onto an uncontainable expanse of ocean"[8]

References

  1. ^ Hopper, Edward; Liesbrock, Heinz (1988). Edward Hopper: Forty Masterworks. Schirmer's Visual Library series. New York: W. W. Norton. p. 111. ISBN 9780393307641. OCLC 317395314.
  2. ^ Souter, Gerry (2012) Edward Hopper: Light and Dark. Parkstone Press. p. 190. ISBN 9781783100262. OCLC 778447718.
  3. ^ a b Goodrich, Lloyd (1964). Edward Hopper. New York: Whitney Museum of American Art. pp. 8-12, 56. OCLC 31479075.
  4. ^ Berman, Avis (July 2007). "Hopper: The Supreme American Realist of the 20th-Century". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d O'Doherty, Brian (1973). "Hopper's Voice". American Masters: The Voice and the Myth. New York: Random House. pp. 12-43. ISBN 9780394464237. OCLC 1080825254.
  6. ^ a b c Levin, Gail (1995). Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 561-562. ISBN 0394546644. OCLC 716046833.
  7. ^ a b Troyen, Carol (2007). "'A Stranger Worth Talking to': Profiles and Portraits of Edward Hopper". In Troyen, Carol, Kelly, Franklin, Barter, Judith A. Edward Hopper. MFA Publications. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. ISBN 9780878467136. OCLC 129510490.
  8. ^ Hollander, John; Weber, Joanna (2001). Words for Images: A Gallery of Poems. New Haven: Yale University Art Gallery. pp. 72-75. ISBN 9780894670961. OCLC 46321100.
  9. ^ Iversen, Margaret (September 2018). "The World without a Self: Edward Hopper and Chantal Akerman". Art History. 41 (4): 742–760. doi:10.1111/1467-8365.12398.
  10. ^ a b c Lewis, Kevin (2009). Lonesome: The Spiritual Meanings of American Solitude. New York: I.B.Tauris. pp. 119-126. ISBN 9781848850750. OCLC 311761479.
  11. ^ a b Kuh, Katharine (2006). "Edward Hopper: Foils for the Light". In Kuh, Katharine and Berman, Avis (ed.). My Love Affair with Modern Art: Behind the Scenes with a Legendary Curator. New York: Arcade Publishing. p. 281-282, 292. ISBN 9781559707695. OCLC 59224003.
  12. ^ Terkel, Studs (November 12, 1971) "The Captured Moment of Change". Life. p. 8. ISSN 0024-3019. OCLC 947110599.
  13. ^ Easterbrook, Carolyn Louise (2004). "American Space, American Place: Edward Hopper, Painting and His Personal Vision of Modern America". PhD thesis. University of Kent. pp. 16-20. doi:10.22024/UniKent/01.02.94323.
  14. ^ Mellow, James B. (September 5, 1971). "The World Of Edward is Hopper—The drama of light, the artificiality of nature, the remorseless human comedy". The New York Times. p. 14.
  15. ^ Hollander, John (1995). "Sun in an Empty Room". In Lyons, Deborah; Weinberg, Adam D. (ed.). Edward Hopper and the American Imagination. Whitney Museum of American Art and W.W. Norton. pp. 87-88. ISBN 9780393038149. OCLC 32051402.

Further reading

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