Jessica Quayle

Art 1020
Professor Reynolds
20 September 2015
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper was born on July 22, 1882 into a middle class family that lived in Upper
Nyack, New York. His family was well enough off to be able to send Edward and his sister
Marion to private schools where they were encourage to explore and appreciate art. Edward grew
up in a very strict Baptist home; a home that was also dominated by women. Not only did he live
with his mother and sister, but his grandmother and the maid lived in his home as well.
Hopper showed talent in drawing at a very young age. His parents always encouraged his
artistic talent, and always were there to give him supplies and materials that he needed. By his
teens he was already creating political cartoons. Edward seemed to release his sense of humor
through his painting at an early age. In high school he wanted to be a naval architect but declared
that he was going to follow his art career.
Edward studied art at the New York School of Art. After He graduated he worked for a an
illustrator for a short time. Once he realized that he wasnt passionate about that line of work, he
took some time to travel the world. He took three international trips that greatly impacted his
future work, and the type of work he would create in the years to come. Hopper was mostly
effected by one city in particular; Paris. Paris is where he found is inspiration for a lot of his art
work. Even though most of the art work at that time was shifting towards abstract painting and
drawings, he was unaffected by it and stuck realist art.

After Edward came back from Paris, he rented a studio in New York. He struggled to
define himself as an artist and had to reluctantly go back to commercial art. During this time,
Edward was depressed because he could not figure out what he wanted to paint. Ideas took a
very long time to come to his mind. In 1912 he traveled to Massachusetts to find some
inspiration, and from that trip came the first of many light house paintings. At age thirty one
Hopper sold his first painting entitled Sailing. After that he hoped that his career would take off
but it took many more years for his painting to catch fire.
Edward worked as a freelancer the next few years and some of his more popular jobs
were to create movie posters and handle publicity for a movie. Edwards had always loved the
cinema, which influenced him in his work. In 1915 he put away his oil paintings and turned to
etching. He continued to create movie posters but also did some posters for the war effort. Even
though he was frustrated with not doing the exact type of art work he had in mind when he was
in college, his work didnt go without recognition. In 1918, Hooper received the U.S Shipping
Board Prize for his war poster, Smash the Hun. Edward never stopped chasing his dream
though and during the early 1920s he started to receive public recognition for his work. Some of
his earlier etches that became recognized were Night on the El Train, Evening Wind, The Catboat
and then some oil paintings entitled New York Interior, and New York Restaurant. In 1923,
Hooper received two awards for his etchings: Logan Prize from the Chicago Society of Etchers,
and the W.A. Bryan Prize.
Not only was Edward started to gain attention in the art world but he was also catching
the eye of someone else that would play large part in his life. In 1923, Edward bummed into an
old college friend named Josephine Nivison. Hooper had never been interested in her when they
studied together, but Josephine captured his entire attention when they reencountered. From the

outside looking in it looked like the couple would never make it in a relationship. They were
complete opposites. Edward was tall, secretive, shy, quiet, and conservative, while she was short,
open, gregarious, sociable and liberal. But they broke through the odds and were married a year
after they started dating. Josephine was exactly what Edward needed at this point in his life. She
is inspiration for many of his painting, and the model from them, his own personal manager, and
life partner. They lived a happy life together, sharing the same passion for art, and each other.
With Josephines encouragement, Edward began to really focus on his water color
paintings. With her love and support behind him, Hopper was able to take his career to a totally
new level. Six of Edwards watercolors were put on exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum in 1923.
The museum then turned around and bought Hoppers painting titled The Mansard Roof for $100.
The critics loved and raved about the artwork, one even stated What vitality, force and
directness! Observe what can be done with the homeliest subject. After he sold the remaining
watercolors at an art show the following year, he finally could put illustration behind him and
pursue the career he always dreamed of.
Edwards career only started to get bigger the older that he got. He began to get endless
awards. He was not interested in any of that though. The awards and recognition didnt mean
much to him because he didnt create the art for that reason. The art that he did create he did
because it was his passion. He didnt mind living a simple live and never complained about never
having enough, because with his wife and art by his side he was happy. In 1927 he sold his
painting, Two on the Aisle for a record amount of $1,500, and with that money was able to by an
automobile. Now with his own mode of transpiration, he was able to travel to the countryside
and was able to create many beautiful scenic painting.

Once the great depression hit, Hopper was scared that he was going to suffer greatly, but
he actually ended up a lot better than a lot of artist during that time period. In 1931, The Whitney
Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, paid thousands for his works.
That year was very successful for him and he sold a little over 30 paintings, including 13
watercolors. Hopper stayed productive and successful through the 1930s and 1940s and
produced many award winning and critically acclaimed pieces.
After many successful years, Hoppers health took a turn for the worst, which restricted
him from not painting as much as he wanted to. He had to get several prostate surgeries and had
many other medical problems. But, even though his health head him back, Edward created some
of his most popular pieces in the later years of his life. They included First Row Orchestra in
1951, Morning Sun and Hotel by a Railroad in 1952, and Intermission in 1963.
Edward died on May 15, 1967 in his studio in New York City. His wife, who stuck by his
side faithfully, died only 10 months later. Before she passed she gave their joint collection of art
work, which added up to more than three thousand pieces of art, to the Whitney Museum of
American Art. Their art work is still there and is also held at the Museum of Modern art in New
York, The Des Moines Art Center, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Even though Edward was a
very establish artist and had received many awards, he never boasted about himself or his art.
Whenever someone would ask about his art he would simply tell them "The whole answer is
there on the canvas." Edward stayed a gentle quit man all the way up to his death, and always
accepted things for the way that they were. Many believed that his way of thinking lead to the
way that his art work turned out. Even though he could have gone with all the other popular artist
of that time and focused on the new idea of abstract art, he stuck true to what he loved and what
he thought looked good.

Edward had many outstanding pieces of works, but there were a few that really stood out
among the rest. One of those pieces was Night Windows (1928). This painting was inspired by
his teacher Robert Henri when he told his students Low art is just telling things: as, There is the
night. High art gives the feel of the night. The latter is nearer reality although the former is a
copy. Night Windows is just one example of many of how well Hopper was able to grasp that
idea and apply it to his art work. Another thing that Edward did well in all of his art work was his
ability to work with light. It could even been known as his signature touch on his paintings. He
was able to establish the right time of day, the mode, and the drama in any painting by using
lighting.
Edward was also known for his many quotes. He was a man of little words but when he
did speak it was always worth taking note of. His quotes made people understand what kind of
person he was and therefor better understand his art. One of his most popular quotes states,
Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in
his personal vision of the world. Another one says My aim in painting has always been the
most exact transcription possible of my most intimate impression of nature. But my personal
favorite states this. In general it can be said that a nations art is greatest when it most reflects
the character of its people. This quote just embodies his whole story. As a struggling artist who
started off as doing illustrations for several of different companies, to slowly becoming an
American artist icon, he was always able to capture the pure, simple, and beautiful of American
beauty.
One of the things that really made Hopper stand out from the rest of most artists is that he
didnt look for something unique to capture, all of his pictures are very typical scenes. Room in
New York, is a great example of this idea. This is a simply painting of a man and a woman that

are sitting together in a living room area, both preoccupied by a newspaper and a piano. The
painting is of nothing out of the ordinary, nothing with a hidden message; it is simply the typical
day in American life. Edward said The idea for Room in New York had been in my mind a long
time before I pained it. It was suggested by glimpses of lighted interiors seen as I walked along
the city streets at night, probably near the district where I live (Washington Square), although its
no particular street or house, but it is rather a synthesis of many impressions. Because Edward
captured ordinary scenes of a daily life of average Americans, many people could relate to his
work and could even feel that they could be the people he was painting.
When we were assigned this assignment, I had never heard of Edward Hopper. The only
reason I choose him is because I saw 1920 next to his name. This is my favorite time period in
American History and so I was very curious to see what an artist of this time period would be
inspired to paint. I was expecting to see things tied into prohibition, the war, the great depression,
or maybe the change in fashion during this time, but Hoppers work surprised me. Among a time
that can now be seen as a drama filled time in history, his painting are all of very calming, scenes
of either scenery or of ordinary things. I was a little disappointed at first, but then I totally fell in
love with his art work.
Among a time that might have been crazy, he painted things that were very calming to
me. I loved his scenery pieces. They were of nothing unique about the scenes they were simply
and pure. I really did love how he could capture light in any kind of painting. I really did bring
the picture to live. My favorite painting of Hoppers is Summer Evening (1947). It is a painting of
a young women and man standing on the patio of a modest home. It is nothing special, but it
makes me think of so many special moments that I have experienced standing with someone
special of my own patio. It makes me think of my first kiss, I first time a boy has said I love

you , and then the hardest break up I have experienced. It makes me think of family time spent
out on the patio at night, knowing that darkness is telling you its time to go to sleep but you
dont want to miss those special moments spend with people you love.
This painting is just one of many that I can look at and a flood of memories come to
mind. I love his work for that reason alone! Another reason that I really liked learning about
Edward Hopper was that he was crazy about his wife, and I always love a good love story. They
were the couple that was so totally different that it was perfect. Learning about them made me
think of the Notebook story by Nicolas Sparks, and it just made me love Edward Hopper and his
life even more. Im glad I got the chance to study his artwork and his life.

Works Cited
"Edward Hopper and His Painting." Edward Hopper Paintings, Biography, Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web.
2009.

"Edward Hopper Quotes." Edward Hopper Paintings, Biography, Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 2009.
"Edward Hopper." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.