Hopper [Paperback]

Mark Strand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 2001

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Poet Strand intuitively captures the spirit of American realist Edward Hopper's (1882-1967) paintings in this latest entry in Ecco's Writers on Art series. Hopper's people, he writes, whether glimpsed in hotel rooms, diners, storefronts or gas stations, "seem to have nothing to do. They are like characters whose parts have deserted them and now, trapped in the space of their waiting, must keep themselves company with no clear place to go, no future." In his spare, precise commentaries on two dozen paintings, which are reproduced here in black-and-white, Strand peels away layers of poetic meaning and symbolism to pierce the private dramas implicit in Hopper's lonely, brooding canvases. Strand calls Sun in an Empty Room (1963) "a vision of the world without us; not merely a place that excludes us, but a place emptied of us." That formulation suggests the stark, slightly menacing atmosphere that makes Hopper's pictures still look so modern.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Mark Strand looks more deeply into Hopper's pictures than anyone else has before."
--Adam Gopnik

"Strand takes the poet's entrance into the silent world of Hopper with a gift of words that allows painter and poet to become partners in opening the windows of the imagination."
--Wayne Theibaud

"Strand's perceptions are intuitive and visceral. I recommend this strange and wonderful book to anyone interested in Hopper's work."
--Justin Spring, Artforum

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; Revised edition (November 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375709711
• ISBN-13: 978-0375709715
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.3 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing, concise, insightful, July 22, 2006

By 

HB "Scholar" (Northeast USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hopper (Paperback)

Just because the previous reviewer didn't get what he expected from this volume doesn't mean it isn't brilliant in its own right. From an outsider's perspective (I am not an art critic, but a literary scholar), I found Mark Strand's insights into Hopper's work to be refreshing and insightful, the first collection of art criticism I have read that speaks thoughtfully and intelligently to its readership without making the assumption that the reader already has the thoughts and inclinations of the critic him or herself. Instead, this is a book that teaches, and I am grateful for it!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Poets Ruminations, August 14, 2006

By 

drkhimxz (Freehold, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hopper (Paperback)

This is not a book for anyone seeking information on life and/or the works of the great Americn painter, Edward Hopper. Pictures are all in black and white, while few facts about his life ae given.
This is a book solely for the person sufficiently familiar with the artists work to appreciate this outstanding poets reflections on the impact of some of his paintings and some fearures in the picture which produce those effects.
Most will find little meat for thought here. Most will find these minimal responses unsatisfying. Those who know the poetry of this Pulitzer prize winning Poet Laureate of The United state will gain some insight into the workings of his poetic perspective when turned on the subject of Hopper's painting.
Others who want to tune in to a poetic sensibility writing prose may find it gratifying.
It is a very quick read with each selection taking no more than a few minutes to read although those who want to apply Strand's conceptions to their own appraisal of these works will find much more to chew over.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Strand Leaves The Reader Stranded, February 13, 2006

By 

Drew T (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hopper (Paperback)

I found this thin volume inadequate, as it barely mentions some of Hoppers most important themes such as silence, voyeurism, & loneliness. Strand spends approximately two poorly developed paragraphs each on a number of paintings, often providing nothing more than a description peppered with bland geometric terms. Insight is lacking. Additionally, the black and white reproductions are tiny therefore don't serve much of a point. Without quality reproductions of rigorous analysis, this book provides little to either the casual reader or the erudite scholar. In the preface, Strand acknowledges that this volume flies in the face of previous scholars, though he must have meant he was going against quality analysis with support.

I would recommend J.A. Ward's American Silences instead.