Edward Hopper @ National Gallery of Art
Written by DCist Contributor Kate Mereand
The scenes are always striking: women at night, mostly alone, and then buildings, mostly in daylight. Such is Edward Hopper’s art, finding voyeuristic fancy in two main types of subjects: ladies and places. The similarities he finds between the two are centered on the clear, stark contrast he favors in his style when painting most anything.
You’ll recognize his work from the iconic painting, Nighthawks (pictured above-right). While that painting serves up a warm slice of Americana, many of the other works also on display at the National Gallery of Art better portray the intense intimacy with which Hopper approached both flesh and brick alike. It’s nothing if not personal, and that is why you should see if for yourself. The East Building of the NGA is hosting the largest exhibit of Hopper’s work outside of New York in 25 years. (For a preview, check out the online booklet or their podcast.)
The somewhat photo-realistic quality of Hopper’s work blends more traditional and modern styles of art. The subjects are recognizable, bold, and at times intimate. Whether it is thus milk-toast or middle-ground, art-lovers and haters of all kinds should be able to appreciate something that he offers.
Take, for instance, Hopper’s break-out work The Mansard Roof (at left). This is a watercolor that focuses on the details of outmoded Victorian-era architecture in Gloucester, Massachusetts. What makes it interesting? The classic consideration is the way the light plays on all of the angles on the house, with a pursuit of light that obscures other details, such as the delineation of leaves and other sharp edges.
Other New England paintings on display are of simpler structures, stark in their surroundings. But with these pieces, his treatment of light commands all respect in the picture, and it is a depiction of a house of windows but not really of doors.
Hopper, after a fruitless youth in the countryside, took his show to the big city where his work started to have real significance in his field. In the country he stuck to painting houses and lighthouses. But in the city he discovered the human element, painting women alone in dark alcoves, through their windows at night, or women in company -- isolated nonetheless.
Automat (right) is one of the most personal of his paintings of women. While she is likely not alone in this café, she is alone in her thoughts. We are in a space where we normally would not belong, sharing a moment that in life would be intrusive, uninvited. But we follow the path that the reflected lights have set for us, drawing us deeper into the dark window, yet somehow still focusing on her. All we see with her are lights and windows -- again, no doors.
The NGA exhibit walks visitors through two floors and a timeline of Hopper’s art, focusing on five themes. The first is early work, where Hopper got by through sale of commercial sketches and reproducible etchings before he was “discovered.” Moving next to the watercolors of New England architecture, and then finally the oil paintings of New York City, where his talents reached their pinnacle, capturing urban architecture and these scenes of isolated individuals.
The National Gallery of Art is located on the Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Stop by their Terrace Café on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 2:30 p.m. to enjoy the dedicated Hopper menu.