Hopper

Now in rich color, thirty of American painter Edward Hopper's masterpieces with critiques from acclaimed poet Mark Strand. Strand deftly illuminates the work of the frequently misunderstood American painter, whose enigmatic paintings--of gas stations, storefronts, cafeterias, and hotel rooms--number among the most powerful of our time. In brief but wonderfully compelling comments accompanying each painting, the elegant expressiveness of Strand's language is put to the service of Hopper's visual world. The result is a singularly illuminating presentation of the work of one of America's best-known artists. Strand shows us how the formal elements of the paintings--geometrical shapes pointing beyond the canvas, light from unseen sources--locate the viewer, as he says, "in a virtual space where the influence and availability of feeling predominate." An unforgettable combination of prose and painting in their highest forms, this book is a must for poetry and art lovers alike. From the Hardcover edition.

"A Borzoi Book."

"Redesigned and with color plates"--Title page verso.

Originally published: Hopewell, N.J. : Ecco Press, 1994.

Preface -- Nighthawks, 1942 -- Dawn in Pennsylvania, 1942 -- Seven A.M., 1948 -- Second story sunlight, 1960 -- Gas, 1940 -- Four lane road, 1956 -- House by the railroad, 1925 -- Early Sunday morning, 1930 -- The circle theatre, 1936 -- Ground swell, 1939 -- Cape Cod evening, 1939 -- Pennsylvania coal town, 1947 -- People in the sun, 1960 -- Morning sun, 1952 -- Cape Cod morning, 1950 -- A woman in the sun, 1961 -- Stairway, 1949 -- Chair car, 1965 -- Automat, 1927 -- New York movie, 1939 -- Tow on the aisle, 1927 -- Western motel, 1957 -- Hotel window, 1956 -- Hotel room, 1931 -- City sunlight, 1954 -- Room in New York, 1932 -- Excursion into philosophy, 1959 -- Summer in the city, 1949 -- Sun in an empty room, 1963 -- Rooms by the sea, 1951.