Whitney Museum of American Art, December 2022
Edward Hopper’s New York
The brilliant exhibition of Edward Hopper’s enduring fascination with New York City at the Whitney Museum of American Art
For Edward Hopper, New York was a city that existed in the mind as well as on the map, a place that took shape through lived experience, memory and the collective imagination. It was, he reflected later in life, ‘the American city that i know best and like most’”.
New York Office, 1962
Oil on canvas
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, AL.
The Blount Collection
Chair Car, 1965
Oil on canvas
Private Collection
Sunlight in a Cafeteria, 1958
Oil on canvas
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT; bequest of Stephen Carlton Clark, B.A. 1903
Intermission, 1963
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; purchase in memory of Elaine McKeon
Morning Sun, 1952
Oil on canvas
Columbus Museum of Art, OH; museum purchase, Howald Fund
Personal Thoughts
“Morning Sun” depicts a woman sitting alone in bed gazing at the cityscape that lies beyond her bedroom window. Her sad expression indicates that she yearns for the outside world. The light shining through the window gives the piece a sense of possibility, a sense of a future filled with warmth and joy, breaking through the gloomy shadows of confinement. The interplay of light reflects how even in darkness there is hope - something my peers and I can relate coming out of a 2+ year pandemic isolation. “Morning Sun” is also relatable to all of us because of the city view. Growing up in New York City a water tank on top of an apartment building is a familiar sight. Urbanization, the metropolis, a simple activity such as sitting on one's bed and gazing out a window, are all concepts of American realism and also define a large part of my peers’ and my daily life. When I sit on my bed facing a similar view, it is a reminder of all the possibilities my city offers beyond my window.
Life imitating art
The Whitney’s outside view in this rainy, cold December day lent itself to some interesting photography - with real life resembling some of Hopper’s iconic New York cityscapes (minus the cell phone…).
Images captured by Niki Kouri.
