Edward Hopper

A major reassessment of an iconic artist that reveals new insight into his biography and his workEdward Hopper (1882–1967) was an American artist whose style came to largely define twentieth-century American realism. His paintings, often depicting the everyday lives of modern Americans and landscapes of the northeastern United States, evoke a sense of melancholy and isolation; by the 1930s, they earned him an enduring critical and popular success.Edward Hopper: A Life reexamines the standard view of this renowned artist by interweaving his life and work and vividly reconstructing the personal, historical, and political contexts of his time. Louis Shadwick’s discovery that several of Hopper’s early paintings were copies of works by other artists challenges the pervasive myth of Hopper as an American original who claimed to have no influences other than himself. Hopper consistently asserted that his art was motivated by self-examination and contained no social or political content. Shadwick ties these claims to notions of American individualism, whiteness, and masculinity.Tracing Hopper’s career over three stages—from youth to obscurity to fame—Edward Hopper: A Life draws new connections between his art and ideas of American identity and the American dream. With more than 100 color and black-and-white images, this book presents the definitive story of Hopper’s life and work.