Author(s): Walter Wells

Photography

Edward Hopper's (1882-1967) paintings are often described as belonging to a school of American realism, and were in part inspired by the works of European realists such as Gustave Courbet and Edouard Manet; however the underlying themes of loneliness, melancholy and silence that pervade his works also recall the surrealist, dream-like images of Giorgio de Chirico. These elements of the dream world and the subconscious - psychological states that are intrinsic to all people, however little we understand them - may be what make Hopper's works so universally compelling. The paintings embody a particularly American sensibility; Hopper's evocative depictions of both urban and rural settings, including theatre interiors, railways, restaurants, gas stations, hotels, street scenes and coastal landscapes, have become iconic images of early twentieth-century American culture. Edward Hopper studied illustration and painting in New York City, where he was taught by the artist Robert Henri. Travelling in Europe after completing his education, Hopper gained inspiration from the simple paintings of the realist school and his early works are testimony to this influence.