Edward Hopper
American Realist Painter
Born July 22, 1882
Died May 15, 1967
Edward Hopper was born in Upper
Nyack, New York, a yacht-building
center on the Hudson River. He dreamed of ships and coastal
settings and wanted to be a naval
architect when he was in high school.
He grew up in a strict Baptist setting.
His father was a mild-mannered
intellectual with a love of French and
Russian cultures. The house was
dominated by the women in the
family; mother, grandmother, sister,
and the maid.
His favorite artist was Rembrandt, saying Rembrandt's Night Watch was "the most wonderful thing of his I have ever seen; it's past belief in its reality."
He studied at the New York School of Art and Design. Although he wanted to follow his heart and paint, his parents insisted he get a job where he could support himself. Getting a job with an advertising agency soon made him hate illustration and graphic art, but the economic times forced him to stay at the agency until the mid-1920s, when he made three trips to Paris to study the new methods coming out of France.
Edward thought of himself as an
only averagely talented, tall, skinny,
awkward, unattractive man and spent
much time alone, perfecting his craft.
Then in 1923, he reconnected with a
woman he met in art school, Josephine
Nivison, on a summer painting excursion in Gloucester, Massachusetts. She was short, happy,
open, friendly, social, and liberal, and the tall, quiet, shy, secretive, introspective conservative Edward fell
madly in love.
They were married a year later and Josephine abandoned her career to
nurture his, and lived his reclusive lifestyle.
She managed his career and interviews, was his primary model, his constant cheerleader, and his life
companion.
Edward Hopper died in his art studio near Washington Square in New York City. His wife
Josephine died ten months later. She bequeathed
all their paintings, about 3,000 works, to the
Whitney Museum of American Art.
His birthplace and boyhood home are listed in the National Registry of Historic Places in 2000, listed as the Edward Hopper House Art Center, a
non-profit community cultural center serving the area with exhibits, lectures, workshops, and
special events.
All of the images and information in this articles are from the following sites and are only for the information of my readers. I claim nothing as my own. More information can be found at:
Edward Hopper - Wikipedia
www.edwardhopper.net
americanart.si.edu/hopper/
www.art.com/gallery/id--a50/edward-hopper-posters.ht,
www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hopp/hd_hopp.htm
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