Publication Date:June 5, 2007 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Editorial Reviews:
Product Description Silent Theater: The Art of Edward Hopper illuminates the life and work of one of America's most celebrated yet enigmatic artists. Through a close study of the themes, emotions, and imagery that preoccupied Hopper (1882-1967) throughout his life, Walter Wells presents many new insights, especially into the haunting silence and loneliness at the heart of the artist's vision.
Hopper's paintings are often described as belonging to a school of American realism, and were in part inspired by the works of European realists such as Gustave Courbet and Edouard Manet; however, the underlying themes of loneliness, melancholy, and silence that pervade his works also recall the surrealist, dreamlike images of Giorgio de Chirico. These elements of the dream world and the subconscious - psychological states that are intrinsic to all people, however little we understand them - may be what make Hopper's work so universally compelling. The paintings embody a particularly American sensibility; Hopper's evocative depictions of both urban and rural settings - including theatre interiors, railways, restaurants, gas stations, hotels, street scenes, and coastal landscapes - have become iconic images of early twentieth-century American culture.
Walter Wells' informative yet eminently readable monograph explores the many facets of Hopper's art, discussing from various perspectives his etchings, watercolors, and oil paintings, which represent a wide range of subjects. Particular attention is paid to the literary works from which Hopper took inspiration, as well as the ways in which the artist's own psychology and emotional states influenced his output.
Winner of the Prestigious Umhoefer Prize for 2009November 30, 2009 Dr. Walter Wells On behalf of my editorial team, I would like publicly to thank the selection committee for awarding the 2009 Umhoefer Prize for Achievement in the Arts and Humanities to the author and editors of SILENT THEATER: THE ART OF EDWARD HOPPER, a volume that has aimed, from the outset, to offer the most definitive analyses yet available of this influential American artist and his work. ---WW
drdickensAugust 6, 2009 David B. Rankin(Los Angeles) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Professor Wells and I were colleagues in a university English Department. Over the years we've had spirited disagreements on many topics and reached sweet harmony on at least as many. When I saw his text in manuscript, I expressed some reservations about his reliance on Jungian ideas.
He brings to bear on his subject a superior intelligence and a lucid prose style that in itself adds aesthetic value to reprints of Hopper's work. In my judgment, clarity of thought and expression is the foundation of all good criticism. This book contains no jargon, pretension, or transgressive chic of the sort that has become commonplace in criticism of all the arts. The text invites the reader into a conversation with it and even provokes cavil, both also hallmarks of good criticism, since without them no serious intellectual work can take place. Its range extends beyond art as such, and offers sources from which additional information, always relevant, can be gleaned.
Like all good critics, Professor Wells transcends his own framework ( Jungian ) in his interpretation and judgment of Hopper's work. His commentary achieves cogency on its own merits and will affect how readers see what Hopper is dong and has achieved, even if readers do not see the work in exactly the same way. That accomplishment is the main business of serious criticism.
There are many reasons to buy this book. It's instructive, and the author is pleasant company. It will repay reading and rereading.
Great book by a grifted author.May 12, 2009 Ann H. Orr(Tucson Arizona) 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Walter Wells has been a friend of mine for 45 years. His intellect and insight elevates his subject matter as well as his friendships. Anyone who buys and reads this book will both enjoy it and be enriched by it for years to come. Ann Orr
Solid workAugust 24, 2008 AC&J(oz) 2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I agree with all the positive comments by other reviewers. A solid, detailed and scholarly work that reproduces good prints of Hopper's art. It is well written and has some interesting readings of Hopper's paintings.
On a completely personal note: one thing which disappointed me slightly was Wells' tendency to read a lot of the paintings from a Freudian/Jungian angle. This is a tendency not only of Wells, but (it seems to me) a vast number of art critics.
Misinformation in this bookJune 12, 2008 Seymour Art 1 out of 15 found this review helpful
This book presents misinformation that will confuse anyone seriously interested in the subject. Much of what it offers is not new and has appeared elsewhere previously. The reproductions are the book's best feature.
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
