Hopper: 1882-1967: Transformation of the Real (Basic Art Series) - Hardcover

Renner, Rolf G.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3836500337 ISBN 13: 9783836500333

Publisher: TASCHEN, 2015

Synopsis

Edward Hopper (1882–1967) is something of an American success story, if only his success had come swifter. At the age of 40, he was a failing artist who struggled to sell a single painting. As he approached 80, Time magazine featured him on its cover. Today, half a century after his death, Hopper is considered a giant of modern expression, with an uncanny, unforgettable, and utterly distinct sense for mood and place.

Much of Hopper's work excavates modern city experience. In canvas after canvas, he depicts diners, cafes, shopfronts, street lights, gas stations, rail stations, and hotel rooms. The scenes are marked by vivid color juxtapositions and stark, theatrical lighting, as well as by harshly contoured figures, who appear at once part of, and alien to, their surroundings. The ambiance throughout his repertoire is of an eerie disquiet, alienation, loneliness and psychological tension, although his rural or coastal scenes can offer a counterpoint of tranquility or optimism.

This book presents key works from Hopper's œuvre to introduce a key player not only in American art history but also in the American psyche.

About the series

Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:

a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance

a concise biography

approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

About this title

About the Author

Rolf G. Renner, born in 1945, earned his doctorate in 1976, and has taught at the universities of Göttingen and Munich (Germany), Charlottesville (Virginia), and Columbia (New York). Since 1988, he has served as professor at the University of Freiburg in Germany. Numerous of his articles have appeared in various magazines and journals.

From the Back Cover

Struggling artist turned icon of the modern, urban experience, Edward Hopper is most famed for his haunting nocturnal diner scene Nighthawks. This book introduces his mastery of place, mood, and melancholy through vivid color juxtapositions; stark, theatrical lighting; as well as harshly contoured figures, at once part of, and alien to, their surroundings.

Edition details

• Publisher: TASCHEN
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3836500337
• ISBN 13: 9783836500333
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96