More Edward Hopper Studio Photos
Wanted to show some more of the photos from the most recent residency in Hopper's S. Truro studio on Cape Cod in Sept. and Oct. Above is the studio seen just as the first sun of the day is beginning to hit its opposite side, This photo give you a sense of how Hopper carefully chose the spot for his studio, placing it on one of the more exposed high places on the ridge of sand dunes that run along the shore of Cape Cod Bay. He obviously wanted great unobstructed views.
The studio has as many windows as the construction methods of his day commonly allowed. It literally catches the first and the very last rays of the day's sunlight. I think of it as his "observatory" where he spent years absorbing and studying the effects of sunlight. It shows in his paintings with their remarkable power to evoke the feel of strong sun and elegant moody shadows.
This is Hopper's kitchen in the afternoon sunlight that's coming in through the window on the kitchen door and the one over the kitchen sink. Here's a drawing I did with my French easel set up in almost the same spot in the kitchen. It's Edward Hopper's Truro Studio Kitchen, vine charcoal, 8 x 10" (it will be included in my upcoming solo show at George Billis Gallery in New York Dec. 11 - Jan. 19, 2013).
So often Hopper employed a geometric patch of sunlight piercing one of his paintings of an interior- it's sort of his hallmark. One can see how much this stemmed from his direct observation of his surroundings. Here's an example from early in his career-
Here are at the right, Hopper's studio easel, on which he painted many of his most well known oils, and my French easel at the left. This is in his painting room, looking through the big north facing window towards the northwest.
Another view of Hopper's studio easel, taken early in the morning.
It was pretty chilly on Cape Cod this time when we were up there this Fall. Here is my wife Alice warming herself in front of a little fire in Hopper's fireplace. I am sure Hopper spent many such hours in just the same spot musing over the coals in his three decades up on the Cape. At the right is the door to the bedroom he shared with his wife Jo Hopper.
The modern looking bookcase at the left was added in the early 1970's, after Hopper's time. That's my French easel on the far left.
I have been gradually adding photos to my website to form a gallery of photographs I and my wife have taken of Hopper's Cape Cod studio. Here's the link to that Hopper Studio Photos Page.