Monday, September 5, 2011

Edward Hopper in Maine


OK, I'm prejudiced. My father, who was from Brunswick, Maine, loved Hopper. So, I couldn't resist capturing the banner in front of the Tondreau Block.

Far better than any self-referential photo opp is the "Edward Hopper in Maine" exhibit at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art until October 16. The 32 oil sketches, done on Monhegan Island from 1916 to 1919, were revelations. Splendid. Generous use of paint. Humbling. Dare I say abstract? Fresh. Does the painting below put you in mind a bit of Richard Diebenkorn?


The portions that I saw of ancillary film, made for The National Gallery of Art in Washington, were revelatory. And the tidbits gleaned from a podcast interview with Carroll Moore, the producer of the film, were reassuring to those of us who can't get started. When Hopper was blocked, he went to the movies.

Screenshot of Hopper's Monhegan painting is from the Bowdoin College Art Museum website.

No comments: