The Edward Hopper Exhibit at the NGA
I've long been a fan of "Nighthawks," the famous painting by American artist Edward Hopper. I'd once seen it at the Art Institute of Chicago, along with a sampling of Hopper's other work. (A hommage to that iconic painting of an urban coffee shop is on my Starbucks coffee mug.) When the National Gallery of Art in Washington announced that it would mount a comprehensive Hopper exhibt, I knew I had to see it. On Tuesday, I finally set aside some time to do so.
The exhibit is installed in the separate East Building of the National Gallery. An appropriate venue, as the East Building houses works by modern and contemporary artists. (I always enjoy seeing works by Roy Lichtensten and works by Photorealists on display here.
The exibit covered Hopper's entire career from prints of the early 1900s to his last work in 1964. His themes were surprisingly consistent. (A 1927 painting of a drugstore is a precursor to Nighhawks of 1942.) He was concerned with examining everyday settings, primarily urban, but also in Maine and on Cape Cod. His figures--usually women--convey a sense of isolation. Even in groups, the figures inhabit their own own worlds and are consumed in their own thoughts and reveries. I was taken with Hopper's treatment of light. He seemed to work with light much like a photographer.
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The National Gellery was founded by a gift from philanthropist and financier Andrew Mellon and had been enhacned by gifts from many private collectors.
The museum's collection contains representation from American and European painters, sculptors, printmakers, and decorative artists. The visitor can see a wide range of works and schools of art on display ranging from Medieval and Renaissance artists, the Old Masters, Impressionists, British and American portraiture, Amercian artists of the colonial period to the 20th Century, to Abstract Impressionism.
Among the many signficant works to be seen at the National Gallery are Leonardo da Vinci's Ginevra de' Benci, Vermeer's Woman Holding a Balace, Van Gogh's Self Portrait of 1889, Picasso's Family of Saltimbanques, and Jackson Pollock's Lavender Mist.
In additional tot eh permanent collections, there are frequent special exhibits and shows. A Sunday afternoon chamber music sereis takes place in the Garden Court.
Admission to the National Gallery of Art is free. When visiting Washington, you really can't miss this outstanding museum.
Personal photography is permitted.
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