Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 10 : Record of press coverage, March 1982 - May 1984

, ... ,. ' The Courier-Mail 2 July 1982 7 "SOIR BLEU" (1914), one of tbe works by American nalllt pioneer Edward Hopper Included In bis major exlllbl~oa at the Queemland Art Gallery. Pioneer of American Realism "THE WORLD of Edward Hopper" at the Qut!ensland Art Gallery Is a selection from the huge collectlon of Hopper's work held by the Whitney Museum In New York. · It coincides with four other exhibi– tions from abroad, two of which I have reviewed already. · This is the first time an exhibition from the Whitney Museum has toured Australia, and the fint time we have 1cen a survey or Hopper'• work. Two memorable and characteristic .Hopper oils were included in the Tbys– aen-Bormcnisza exhibition we had two years ago. Edward Hopper (1882 - 1967) is re– cognised as the pioneer and major art– .ist of American Realism of the 20th century. Art Review can be direct, yet there is a reticence which allows for a sense of mystery. Yet, for a long time, his paintings The exhibition contains drawings, brought him no success and he had,to etchinp, watercolors and oils. It was work for a living as an illustrator and with his etchin~s that Hopper achieved commercial artist. his first recognition; the etchings in this However, this occupation probably exhibition are superb. did him as little harm as an artist as "Night in the Park" and "Night having to make a living u a cartoonist Shadows", for example, have so intense harmed Daumier's arL an emotional resonance and are so far In 1980, when the Whitney MUlellm from ordinary realism that, in 1pite of' arranged a larae retro1pective of the much areater reticence, they are as· Hopper'• work 13 yean aft.erhia death, bauntina aa Alfred Ku bin's night- . record-breaking crowd • attcllded! marea. Although Hopper's art la both very "Soir Bleu" or 1914, shown on the American and very penonal in ,ubject ClOVer of the catalogue and mentioned matter and feeling, hi • areatneu re- in it as one of the largest canvases sides in the fact that he tramcenda both Hopper ever painted, is the major work national and penonal barrien. here. His art expre11e1 reelinp &nd obler- It indicatea Hopper's admiration for vation 1 which all modem humanity can Manet, Degas and Toulouse Lautrec. recognise as true and u part ot Ill own Hopper spent aome time in Paris but e,iperience. ,trove con1ciou1ly for an American It hu been obierved aaain and identity, and none of the painters men·- again, that .Hopper ii the painter of tioned expressed such sense of utter al- loneliness and alienation. ienation. He ii that to a areat extent and with• None of the.seven people depicted in t r ••--taUt M t this painting hu any contact with an- out any race O • enUIIIGD Y• 01 other. Tbil aen1e ofaeparateness i1 skil- importantJy, ho tranacenda literal reaJ. iim bv oxpressing deeply felt and fully manipulated by pauses and the h " ood b • • aelt-contained forms of the figures; the auntang m I not Y any numetic cold colors are intensified by sparse means, but by a potent orchoatration of forms, space, light and color. touches of warm ones. , Hopper has an acute 1e1110 of place- There are other pictures that stay in ment, of setting broadly handled mau- the mind. es against each other to create tension How sad Hopper can make a row of and suspense, all reinforced by strong identical tenements; how chill a seas- . contrasts of tonal and coloristic values. cape, just because of this sudden red .His handli,ng_of ligh_t, in _particular glow of sunlight touching some rocks. his ch_ar~cte,risttc cold hght, 1s personal How poignantly he evokes a whole and dtstmctive. . . condition of the Deep South in "Caroli- . The sen~e ~f lonch_ness _and eene'!~s na Morning", where a sensuous, sultry !n Hopper~ pictures 1s a.s mtense.as tt 1s ~h sir! stands in a doe.1;:~ of a hut ~ 1n Mu~c~ s, but ach1~ve~ ;w1t~out :~-· , .iunalc<l.~ ' st a 'viii:: ~uncb s VJolent, express1omstic diator- 11 ~ . .. . .... -· ., ...,,. ..... lions u, ..,.,_.,_. · ,~ • The surreal stare or some works, · People will be ,remi~d~ In this of which reminded some critica of Ma- ~ome of Dry~dale .s J>:!lntmgs, such ~s grille, isachieved without the invention 'The,Dr~vers \Yire. But Hopper 11 ofsurreal imagery. superior tn ~ting an expr~s1ve for- Hop~r can extract his intenae mood mat atructure:· ·- . ·•:~ from 'ordinary" life and object.I. He - DR GER~UDE LANGER -----------------------------,. I /J