When most of us think of Modern painters our minds are instantly filled with images of Jackson Pollock’s splatter-marked canvases or of Andy Warhol’s unabashed embrace of 1980’s excess and consumerism. Few people immediately acknowledge the role that Realism played in 20th century art and yet so many recognize the iconic works of Edward Hopper, perhaps the most celebrated Realist in pre-WWII American painting. In celebration of the works and influence of Edward Hopper, New York’s Whitney Museum is holding the Modern Life: Edward Hopper and His Time exhibit, running from October 28th to April 10th.
At a time when the art-world was clamoring for ever-increasing abstraction, Edward Hopper clung to realist depictions of American life. The same year that Pablo Picasso (a former Realist, himself) produced the playfully abstract Three Musicians, Edward Hopper produced the soft, warm tones of the Girl at Sewing Machine. Located in the Upper East Side, the Whitney attempts to answer why Hopper was so drawn to this form of expression and how it influenced his contemporaries.
Modern Life nobly attempts to place Hopper’s work within the context of his time, displaying works of his contemporaries—the Ashcan School painters from the century’s first decades, the 1920’s Precisionist artists, whose explorations of form mirrored those of Hopper, and a younger generation of American Scene painters, who worked alongside Hopper in New York during the 1930s. Modern Life: Edward Hopper and His Time includes approximately 80 works in a range of media by Hopper and his contemporaries.
New York Habitat still has apartments available in the Upper East Side, close to the musem, for the fall season. Here are a few to get your search going before all of the foliage disappears:
– This clean and contemporary 1-bedroom vacation rental apartment rental in Midtown West-Chelsea (NY-12442) features hardwood floors, modern furnishings and an on-site washer/dryer unit.
– This comfortable studio rental apartment in Midtown West (NY-14066) features an ideal location and an oversized bathroom.
– This 1-bedroom rental accommodation in Soho (NY-14419) is housed on two floors. This apartment features a seemingly endless amount of space and an iconic New York location.
Why do you think Hopper’s work has enjoyed such a lasting embrace, given that the period is so heavily defined as Abstractionist? Please comment.
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