Together, Alone

The life and work of Edward Hopper

Rooms by the Sea, oil on canvas, 1951

Edward Hopper

• 1882 – 1967• Born in NJ, worked in NYC• Summered on Cape Cod and the coast of ME• Traveled extensively throughout the US

including the South, the Southwest, and New England

• Supported himself as an illustrator• Two retrospective shows, Time cover story

Art Work

• Preferred to work with oil paint• Used muted blues, greens, and yellows• Interested in portraying different qualities of

sunlight or artificial light• Focus remains on the figures when present• Subject matter does not stray from reality• Not categorized into a particular artistic

movement or school

Content

• Paintings captured the “American life” of the early twentieth century both before and after World War II– Urbanization, Transportation, Technology

• Work explores the psychological aspects of these social changes– Isolation, Alienation, Loneliness, Desperation

Compositions

• Feature otherwise mundane subject matter made interesting/captivating

• Influenced by his US travels but are imaginary• Paintings have a narrative quality and require

some interpretation• Figures (singularly, in pairs, or in groups) are

detached from their environment and each other

• Moment following an action or change

House by Railroad, oil on canvas, 1925

Early Sunday Morning, oil on canvas, 1930

Manhattan Bridge Loop, oil on canvas, 1928

Gas, oil on canvas, 1940

Night Windows, oil on canvas, 1928

Hotel Room, oil on canvas, 1931

Western Motel, oil on canvas, 1957

Office at Night, oil on canvas, 1940

Hotel Lobby, oil on canvas, 1943

Soir Bleu, oil on canvas, 1914

Morning Sun, oil on canvas, 1952

High Noon, oil on canvas, 1949

People in the Sun, oil on canvas, 1960

Nighthawks, oil on canvas, 1942

Below are a few modern takes on Hopper’s most famous work Nighthawks. These are not works created by Hopper, but are inspired by him and his work.

Artistic Success

• Recorded America’s twentieth century transformation

• Provides a strong social commentary on his acute observations

• Together, Alone

Creative Writing ProjectThe theme of your story will be:

“Together, Alone”

• Due 3/12: A hard copy of your Hopper and Hemingway inspired Powerpoint story! Page 1 of your Powerpoint = The Hopper image inspiring your story with its title and date below it. Pages 2 and 3 of your Powerpoint = A story that is at least 2 slides using 20 point font and is written in the style of Hemingway. (You will need to examine his works closely in order to mimic it effectively.) The theme of your story needs to be “Together, Alone.”

• Due 3/14 at the beginning of class to my email inbox: The FINAL draft of your story that is at least 2 slides using 20 point font with NO ERRORS. Remember, it needs to capture the theme of “TOGETHER, ALONE” and be directly inspired by the image you selected and mimic Hemingway’s writing style.*If you are worried about submitting this electronically via email, then please save your Powerpoint to a flash drive so that you can put it on my computer as you enter class on 2/29. Additionally, to ensure that your assignment is not inaccessible, consider sending it to me early, and also send yourself a copy, to a different email than your Firstclass account. If you have any questions about the submission process, please speak to me in person during tutorial or send me an email.