Edward Hopper portrayed the double act of looking by incorporating different artistic elements to express the feeling of loneliness based on the reality of American society in the 20th century. The uses of double act of looking in his three paintings Room in Brooklyn, Morning Sun, and Office in a small city in order to criticize the drawbacks of reality of 20th century America and to allow his viewers to perceive these drawbacks as well.
Most of his masterpieces are landscape and figurative oil paintings. In his early age, he had three trips to Europe; the great European realists greatly influenced his future works. Since then, he has been gradually recognized as a part of a new generation of American realist artists (EdwardHopper.net). The …show more content…
Since her back is shown to us, so as spectators, we can’t tell for sure what scenery the woman is looking at. By using the double act of looking, spectators can experience how surroundings and elements of painting contribute to understand the character’s emotion. For example, the sunlight is reflected into the room, which makes the relevant degree of light and dark can be seen in this painting. Ironically, the sunlight with the a vase of flower does not make the atmosphere to be a peaceful one. It is because of that she is slumped down in her chair with her head pointing downward. This body expression suggests that she is in depression. The character does not go along well with the environment leads spectators to think of what happened to her at this moment. Then spectators realize that the painting was created in 1932, which was in the period of the Great Depression. The painting itself reflects Hopper’s imagination toward the Great Depression as capturing the social form of the ordinary life of an American citizen suffering from starving and unemployment. According to Jackson’s critique on Hopper’s masterpieces, “Hopper’s rudimentary sense of composition is sufficient for a message that conveys an insight into the present nature of American life” (134). Hopper didn’t portray the face of the character so that any spectator can replace himself or …show more content…
The painting is composed of oil on canvas, and was created in 1953. According to Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, “Hopper began Office in a Small City while he was staying in Truro in the summer of 1953, and he finished it in his New York studio in the fall” (2007). Most of his works are associated with the reflection on contemporary social reality. This piece is most likely an interpretation of post-war culture of the American lifestyle by performing a fundamental expression of loneliness and vacuous (2007). The painter portrays the double act of looking to express the feelings through visual cues, combining with elements like a dark tone, bold lines, and the proportion. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History says “Office in a small city is a scene that could have taken place in any American town in the mid-twentieth century” (2007). Not many vivid colors, but more likely the natural colors are used in the painting, setting up a dark tone in the social reality. Based on the textbook, “The purer or brighter a hue, the greater its intensity” (Sayre, xxi). As a result, the painting turns out that it has a low intensity, which let spectators perceive the feeling of repression by using the double act of looking. When I become part of this painting, I feel the work is bold because Hopper clearly depicts an employee who is in business attire sitting next to a table by the
Most of his masterpieces are landscape and figurative oil paintings. In his early age, he had three trips to Europe; the great European realists greatly influenced his future works. Since then, he has been gradually recognized as a part of a new generation of American realist artists (EdwardHopper.net). The …show more content…
Since her back is shown to us, so as spectators, we can’t tell for sure what scenery the woman is looking at. By using the double act of looking, spectators can experience how surroundings and elements of painting contribute to understand the character’s emotion. For example, the sunlight is reflected into the room, which makes the relevant degree of light and dark can be seen in this painting. Ironically, the sunlight with the a vase of flower does not make the atmosphere to be a peaceful one. It is because of that she is slumped down in her chair with her head pointing downward. This body expression suggests that she is in depression. The character does not go along well with the environment leads spectators to think of what happened to her at this moment. Then spectators realize that the painting was created in 1932, which was in the period of the Great Depression. The painting itself reflects Hopper’s imagination toward the Great Depression as capturing the social form of the ordinary life of an American citizen suffering from starving and unemployment. According to Jackson’s critique on Hopper’s masterpieces, “Hopper’s rudimentary sense of composition is sufficient for a message that conveys an insight into the present nature of American life” (134). Hopper didn’t portray the face of the character so that any spectator can replace himself or …show more content…
The painting is composed of oil on canvas, and was created in 1953. According to Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, “Hopper began Office in a Small City while he was staying in Truro in the summer of 1953, and he finished it in his New York studio in the fall” (2007). Most of his works are associated with the reflection on contemporary social reality. This piece is most likely an interpretation of post-war culture of the American lifestyle by performing a fundamental expression of loneliness and vacuous (2007). The painter portrays the double act of looking to express the feelings through visual cues, combining with elements like a dark tone, bold lines, and the proportion. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History says “Office in a small city is a scene that could have taken place in any American town in the mid-twentieth century” (2007). Not many vivid colors, but more likely the natural colors are used in the painting, setting up a dark tone in the social reality. Based on the textbook, “The purer or brighter a hue, the greater its intensity” (Sayre, xxi). As a result, the painting turns out that it has a low intensity, which let spectators perceive the feeling of repression by using the double act of looking. When I become part of this painting, I feel the work is bold because Hopper clearly depicts an employee who is in business attire sitting next to a table by the