9781422276440

EDWARD HOPPER

Unfortunately, Hopper has rarely been credited when his images have been appropriated for commercial purposes. Nonetheless, the wide use of Hopper’s art commercially has, in some ways, allowed for the complete immersion of his art into today’s mainstream culture. Consequently, one does not need to know who Edward Hopper was to be familiar with his art. Despite the pop-culture appeal of his images, Hopper himself had very little interest in adopting the latest style or following the latest trend. He was a man of routine who preferred the simple things in life. His physical description matched his persona. In 1964, John Canady, the art critic for the New York Times , described Hopper as follows: “A rangy, big-boned man whose appearance suggests that he might have been a member of his college crew around the year 1900.”

House by Railroad 1925, oil on canvas; 24 x 29 in. (61 x 74 cm).

The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The growth of cities and railroads during Hopper’s lifetime hastened the decline and desertion of many of America’s small towns. In this work Hopper portrays the last vestige of a bygone era through his representation of a Victorian house beside a railroad track.

6