Edward Hopper, painter

As I mentioned the other week, I've become a jigsaw puzzler. So far I'd been borrowing puzzles, but when the only one up for grabs was a 1,000-piecer about classic TV personalities, I demurred. I want to have at least some interest in the subject. So, I got on Google. A friend had recommended New York Puzzle Company, and one of the puzzles I'd especially enjoyed doing (beetles, maybe?) was by Pomegranate—so I started there, and yes! Plenty of delightful designs to choose from, some even in stock.

I've finished the easy part; the rest—
sky, trees, and road—is going to be hell

So now I have six puzzles in waiting. Well, five: I started on one the other day. It's called Portrait of Orleans, by Edward Hopper (1950). I could have chosen Nighthawks, but I wanted one I wasn't familiar with. And that got me wondering: how well do I know Edward Hopper (1882–1967), anyway? I know his style—as in, I know him when I see him. But a search of the Internet told me that I don't really know him at all. So I thought I'd render a few of his paintings that I especially liked in my scan of his works.

And they weren't all about loneliness and urban isolation—there are landscapes, and he had a special fondness for theater and the cinema—though there is always a sense of mystery and, if not isolation per se, then maybe apartness? solitude? in his work. I like that about him.

Automat, 1927

Two on the Aisle, 1927

Cape Ann Granite, 1928

Night Windows, 1928

Railroad Sunset, 1929

Ryders House, 1933

Cape Cod Evening, 1939

Ground Swell, 1939

Bridle Path, 1939

New York Movie, 1939

Gas, 1940

Cape Cod Morning, 1950

Morning Sun, 1952

Western Motel, 1957
(and here is an interesting story about a museum that
built a replica of this room for paying guests!)

Second Story Sunlight, 1960

Two Comedians, 1966
This is Hopper's last painting, a self-portrait of himself
and his wife and muse, Jo

Oh, and here, because the partially completed jigsaw puzzle doesn't really give much of an idea of the actual painting:

Portrait of Orleans, 1950

I could go on and on: the man was prolific. And I love the variety of his subject matter. Here are a couple of articles about him: 10 things you may not know and 21 facts. He's an interesting person. And now, thanks to jigsaw puzzles, I know a little more about him.

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Today's Covid-19 stats for Monterey County: 5,156 reported cases (up 190 since my last post on the 4th); 321 hospitalizations (up 19); and deaths stand at 35 (up 1).

Stay safe.

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P.S. Blogger has switched over to a new interface. I tried it on this post. I hated it. I redid it using the "legacy" version, which they will be discontinuing on September 1. I will be switching to Wordpress. Sad to leave Blogger: it's easy, it's clean—I know how to use it. But the new version is awful. If I'm going to learn something new, I'd rather do it on a fuller-service host. Stay tuned.