[Hopper's late painting Two Comedians]
And Edward and Jo did think of his subjects as characters. Jo had been an actress in a small theater troupe (the Washington Square Players), and she wrote journal entries imagining stories about the people appearing on Edward's canvases. Theaters were favorite subjects of Hopper, not only to paint, but also to attend.
He and Jo saw a wide variety of the film and theater that New York had to offer. The visual storytelling of these mediums seems to have influenced how Hopper portrayed scenes on his canvases. Some commentators suggest he got ideas for his settings from plays. Many have likened his paintings to film stills, and many film images have been based on his paintings.
Like Jo, I had been an actor in my twenties, so I loved Hopper's theatrical tableaus and the stages on which they were placed, such as theaters, old buildings, travelers' way stations, and coffee shops. It would be a joy for me to seek out similar scenes in the towns I was headed to.
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2 comments:
very interesting, keep it going, will call in from time to time
scott
Great! Maybe you'll see that painting you've been "hunting" for.
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