Intermission (Hopper)

Intermission
ArtistEdward Hopper
Year1963
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions40 by 60 inches (100 cm × 150 cm)
LocationSan Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Intermission is a 1963 painting by American realist Edward Hopper (1882–1967). It is a late period painting completed between March and April at his home and studio in Washington Square Park, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City, four years before his death at age 84. The work depicts a woman in a theater wearing a blue and black dress and black shoes, sitting by herself in a green aisle seat near a blue wall. It is one of the largest paintings ever completed by Hopper, and is his penultimate theater-themed work, followed by Two Comedians (1966), his last painting. It was acquired by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2012.

Background

Edward Hopper (1882–1967) was a lifelong fan of the theater and cinema, interests that went back to his early childhood and were later encouraged by his art teacher, Robert Henri (1865–1929).[1] Along with his wife, Josephine, Hopper regularly attended theatrical productions and kept detailed notes of every performance. They were also patrons of the Theatre Guild, the founders of which originated with the Washington Square Players, a former theater troupe with which Josephine used to perform; she was also friendly with the members. The Hoppers had eclectic taste in the performing arts, ranging from modern drama, classics, and even experimental theater.[2]

Notable works and subjects with the theme of theater and cinema in Hopper's paintings include Solitary Figure in a Theater (1902–1904), At the Theater (1916–1922), Two on the Aisle (1927), The Balcony (1928), The Circle Theater (1936),[2] The Sheridan Theater (1937), New York Movie (1939), First Row Orchestra (1951), and his last work, Two Comedians (1966).[3]

  • Solitary Figure in a Theater (1902–1904)
    Solitary Figure in a Theater (1902–1904)
  • Two on the Aisle (1927)
    Two on the Aisle (1927)
  • New York Movie (1939)
    New York Movie (1939)

Development

In 1963, Hopper expressed interest in continuing his series of paintings set in a theater. His original plan was to paint inside of a movie theater after hours when it was closed and there were no people around. Josephine shared this information with American historian James Flexner, who personally approached the president of a chain of theaters and arranged a deal, only to have Hopper back out. "Hopper had his idea so clearly in his mind that his presence in an actual theater became unnecessary", writes art historian Gail Levin.[1] One sketch shows that Hopper considered adding another figure in the third row of seats.[1] In the final painting. Hopper made a preliminary or compositional sketch (ébauche) in pencil lines, which remains evident in the edges of the stage and the proscenium arch in the final painting.[4] At 40 by 60 inches (100 cm × 150 cm), Intermission is one of Hopper's largest paintings.[5] It was completed between March and April 1963 at his New York home and studio in Washington Square Park, just four years before his death at age 84.[6]

Description

A woman sits alone among empty seats in a theater; the curtain and the exit door are both closed.[7] The house lights are on, indicating a break in the performance.[8] The lone woman wears a blue and black dress and black shoes, and sits in a green aisle seat near a blue wall below a balcony.[9]

Interpretation

Art historian Ivo Kranzfelder places the painting within the context of the metaphor of the theatrum mundi, the ancient idea that the world is a theater where people are the characters in a drama. Kranzfelder believes Hopper used this idea throughout his theater series beginning with Solitary Figure in a Theater.[7] Levin writes that Hopper "saw the theater as a metaphor for life, and himself as a kind of stage director, setting up scenes to paint based on events he saw take place around him, casting his characters from types he observed."[10] Hopper and Josephine often created backstories for the characters in his paintings.[7] In Intermission, Hopper named the woman depicted in the theater "Nora". Levin and Studs Terkel have noted that "Nora" appears to be a loner, remaining pensively in her seat during intermission when other audience members have stepped out.[11] According to Josephine, Hopper said "Nora is on the way of becoming an 'egg head'. An efficient secretary or prized chatelaine of big house." Levin notes that Hopper's description of "Nora" came close to describing Josephine, as she was somewhat of an egghead and also played the role of secretary and châtelain of both Hopper's South Truro home and studio and their Washington Square property.[1] Hopper "had learned to use light as only a master stage craftsman could to create drama", writes Levin. "Although his dramas were imaginary, his directing was inspired. Even in his habit of having Jo pose for all the women he painted, he acted like a director giving a favorite actress many roles to play. Jo, who had actually acted in theater, was well prepared for her duties."[10]

COVID-19 pandemic

Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in popular culture

Intermission received renewed interest and attention at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of an internet meme about the impact of lockdowns and social distancing.[12] On March 16, 2020, writer Michael Tisserand tweeted "We are all Edward Hopper paintings now", along with images of four Hopper paintings: New York Office (1962), Sunlight in a Cafeteria (1958), Intermission (1963), and Office in a Small City (1953).[13] The tweet went viral, sparking a global conversation about Hopper's paintings and the loneliness and isolation people were experiencing due to pandemic health measures.[14]

Art critic Jonathan Jones explored Tisserand's idea after seeing it on WhatsApp. In an article for The Guardian, Jones compared the relevance of Hopper and the "loneliness and alienation of modern life" in his 1950s and 1960s paintings to contemporary society caught up by the coronavirus restrictions.[15] Trying to make sense of the meme, Jones describes the succession of images as "a woman alone in a deserted cinema [Intermission], a man bereft in his modern apartment [Office in a Small City], a lonely shop worker [New York Office] and people sitting far apart at tables for one in a diner [Sunlight in a Cafeteria]..."[16] Hopper's images of solitude and loneliness connect to people during the pandemic era, Jones argues, because when one loses the liberties we take for granted, loneliness as Hopper painted it is the only thing remaining.[15]

Biochemist and art essayist Joseph L. Goldstein argues that Hopper was the artist who best foreshadowed and represented the isolation and separation experienced by the general public dealing with COVID-19. Hopper's art, writes Goldstein, "speaks to the spirit of the pandemic's quarantine culture."[17] Goldstein cites Hopper's portrayal of "people who sit alone in bleak diners, motel rooms, and theaters or who stare out of the bay windows of their apartments".[17] Hopper expert Gail Levin did not see Tisserand's meme until December 2020, at which point it caught her attention after spreading to Facebook. It inspired her to write Edward Hopper's Loneliness, an essay exploring the influence of the 1918–1920 flu pandemic on Hopper's work.[18]

Cinematic recreation

Austrian filmmaker Gustav Deutsch recreated a live action version of Intermission as part of the experimental feature film Shirley: Visions of Reality (2013), which connects 13 Hopper paintings together using "nearly static tableaux vivants" in key scenes to mimic each painting.[19] The backstory linking the paintings together concerns a New York actress (portrayed by Stephanie Cumming) in the 1930s through the 1960s. In the scene that depicts Intermission, Shirley is shown sitting in a movie theater watching Une aussi longue Absence (1961), a French film by Henri Colpi, a film that Hopper had actually watched in his real life.[20] Deutsch said he was interested in exploring the history of film with Shirley, noting that the tableau vivant was a 19th-century precursor to filmmaking which originally used live people to model influential paintings.[20]

Provenance

Intermission was acquired from a private collector by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) in 2012, made possible by gifts from the Schwab and Fisher families.[21] As part of the transaction, the SFMOMA deaccessioned Hopper's Bridle Path (1939) and put it up for auction.[5] It sold for $10.4 million in May of that same year.[22][23]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Levin, Gail (1995). Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 47, 558–559. ISBN 0394546644. OCLC 716046833.
  2. ^ a b Smith, Philip (Spring 2021). "The Empty Stage in Edward Hopper's Early Sunday Morning, Girlie Show, and Two Comedians". European Journal of American Studies. 16 (1).
  3. ^ Stańska, Zuzanna (March 27, 2023). "Theater and Cinema in Edward Hopper's Paintings". Archived 2023-03-27 at the Wayback Machine. Daily Art Magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Hanson, Anne Coffin (Summer 1981). "Edward Hopper, American Meaning and French Craft". Edward Hopper Symposium at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Art Journal. 41 (2). p. 146.
  5. ^ a b Baker, Kenneth (March 23, 2012). "SFMOMA acquires Edward Hopper's 'Intermission'". Archived 2024-02-01 at the Wayback Machine. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  6. ^ O'Doherty, Brian (1973). "Hopper's Voice". American Masters: The Voice and the Myth. New York: Random House. pp. 12–43. ISBN 9780394464237. OCLC 1080825254.
  7. ^ a b c Kranzfelder, Ivo (1995). Edward Hopper, 1882-1967: Vision of Reality. Taschen. pp. 142–146.ISBN 3822890596. OCLC 34518704.
  8. ^ Mamunes, Lenora (2011). Edward Hopper Encyclopedia. Jefferson: McFarland & Co. pp. 71-72. ISBN 9780786486434. OCLC 728111198.
  9. ^ Berkson, Bill (June 29, 2016). "Paris in Hopper and Back". Archived 2024-05-20 at the Wayback Machine. Open Space. SFMOMA. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Levin, Gail (1980). Edward Hopper: The Art and the Artist. New York: Norton, Whitney Museum of American Art. p. 55. ISBN 039301374X. OCLC 1033594780.
  11. ^ Terkel, Studs (October 2, 1981). "Gail Levin discusses the work of Edward Hopper and the Art Institute of Chicago's Hopper's exhibition". Archived 2024-06-12 at the Wayback Machine. Studs Terkel Radio Archive. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Greenberger, Alex (March 30, 2020). "No, We Are Not All Edward Hopper Paintings Now". Archived 2023-08-21 at the Wayback Machine. ArtNews. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  13. ^ @m_tisserand (March 16, 2020). "we are all edward hopper paintings now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Wecker, Menachem (April 27, 2020). "Those who say Edward Hopper is the artist of social distancing may be wrong". Archived 2020-05-02 at the Wayback Machine. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Jones, Jonathan (March 27, 2020). "'We are all Edward Hopper paintings now': is he the artist of the coronavirus age?" Archived 2020-03-27 at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  16. ^ Taskale, Ali Riza (July 14, 2023). "Art of Dystopia: Why Edward Hopper Paintings Haunt the Present Moment". Utopian Studies. 34 (2): 350–358.
  17. ^ a b Goldstein, Joseph L. (October 15, 2020). "The Spanish 1918 Flu and the COVID-19 Disease: The Art of Remembering and Foreshadowing Pandemics". Cell. 183 (2): 285-289. PMID 33064981.
  18. ^ Levin, Gail. (Fall 2021). "Edward Hopper's Loneliness". Social Research. 88 (3): 747-770.
  19. ^ "Shirley, Visions of Reality: Berlin Review". Archived 2023-12-24 at the Wayback Machine. The Hollywood Reporter. February 10, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Coutaut, Gregory (April 19, 2013). "Entretien avec Gustav Deutsch". Archived 2013-05-22 at the Wayback Machine. Film de Culte. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  21. ^ Lynch, Jill; Baruth, Clara Hatcher (March 22, 2012). "SFMOMA Acquires Major Edward Hopper Painting". Archived 2020-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. SFMOMA. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  22. ^ Bouchet, Brian (May 17, 2012). "Sotheby's Sale Helps SFMOMA Upgrade a Hopper". Archived 2021-10-21 at the Wayback Machine. ARTnews. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  23. ^ Jovanovic, Rozalia (May 17, 2012). "Edward Hopper Tops Sotheby's $35 M. American Art Sale". Archived 2016-06-10 at the Wayback Machine. Observer. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

Further reading

Read other articles:

KBS World Radio

KBS World RadioNama sebelumnyaThe Voice of Free Korea (1953-1973)Radio Korea (1973-1994)Radio Korea International (1994-2004)JenisJaringan RadioNegara Korea SelatanKetersediaanInternasionalTanggal peluncuran15 Agustus, 1953PemilikKorean Broadcasting SystemSitus webworld.kbs.co.kr KBS World Radio adalah sebuah stasiun penyiaran internasional resmi milik Korean Broadcasting System asal Korea Selatan. Kartu QSL dari tahun 1991 KBS World Radio, the voice of Korea, adalah satu-satunya si...

 

 

Friderik Pregl

Fritz PreglLahir(1869-09-03)3 September 1869Laibach, Austria-HungariaMeninggal13 Desember 1930(1930-12-13) (umur 61)Graz, AustriaWarga negaraAustria-Hungaria,kemudian AustriaAlmamaterKarl-Franzens-Universität GrazDikenal atasanalisis mikroelemenPenghargaanNobel Kimia (1923)Karier ilmiahBidangKimia, kedokteranPembimbing doktoralWilhelm OstwaldEmil FischerAlexander Rollett Fritz Pregl (3 September 1869 – 13 Desember 1930) ialah seorang dokter dan kimiawan Austria-Slovenia. Ia memenangk...

 

 

Ali I

Ali Iعلي الأولAmir dari MarokoBerkuasa836-848PendahuluMuhammad bin IdrisPenerusYahya IKelahiran827Kematian848Nama lengkapAli Haidar bin MuhammadAyahMuhammad bin IdrisIbuRoqiyah binti Ismail al-AzadiAgamaZaidiyyah, Syiah koin Idrisiyyah dicetak di al-'Aliyah, Maroko, pada masa pemerintahan Ali I, pada tahun 840 m. Ali bin Muhammad bin Idris ( علي بن محمد بن إدريس) adalah sultan idrisiyyah keempat dari Maroko. Ia adalah putra dari Muhammad bin Idris menjabat saat 836. Di...

Final Piala Dunia FIFA 1966

Final Piala Dunia FIFA 1966TurnamenPiala Dunia FIFA 1966 Inggris Jerman Barat 4 2 Setelah perpanjangan waktuTanggal30 Juli 1966StadionStadion Wembley, LondonWasitGottfried Dienst (Swiss)Penonton96.924← 1962 1970 → Final Piala Dunia FIFA 1966 adalah pertandingan final dalam Piala Dunia FIFA 1966, Piala Dunia sepak bola kedelapan. Pertandingan tersebut diikuti oleh Inggris dan Jerman Barat pada tanggal 30 Juli 1966 di Stadion Wembley di London, dan ditonton oleh 96.924 penonton.[...

 

 

Dua Kekasih

Dua KekasihSutradaraSatmowi AtmowilotoProduserFerry AngriawanDitulis olehSatmowi AtmowilotoPemeranParamitha RusadyDonny DamaraAyu AzhariLeroy OsmaniNani WidjajaPitrajaya BurnamaDesy RatnasariRonny BurnamaLinda LemanAdisoerya AbdyAnton IndracayaPenata musikBilly J. BudiardjoSinematograferTantra SurjadiPenyuntingEffendi DoythaDistributorVirgo Putra FilmsTanggal rilis1990Durasi94 menitNegaraIndonesia Penghargaan Festival Film Indonesia 1990 Pemeran Pendukung Wanita Terbaik : Ayu Azhar...

 

 

Hockey sur glace

Vous lisez un « bon article » labellisé en 2007. Pour les articles homonymes, voir Hockey. Hockey sur glace Données clés Fédération internationale IIHF (fondée en 1908) Sport olympique depuis 1920 Joueurs licenciés 1 632 677 en 2013[1] Champions du monde en titre Finlande États-Unis Début de la demi-finale des Jeux olympiques de 2006 entre la Finlande et la Russie modifier Le hockey sur glace, appelé le plus souvent hockey, est un sport d’équipe se jouant s...

2015 Vuelta a Burgos

Cycling race 2015 Vuelta a Burgos2015 UCI Europe TourRace detailsDates4 August – 8 AugustStages5← 2014 2016 → The 2015 Vuelta a Burgos was a men's road bicycle race which was held from 4 August to 8 August 2015. It was the 37th edition of the stage race, which was established in 1946. The race was rated as a 2.HC event and forms part of the 2015 UCI Europe Tour. The race was made up of five stages and was won by Rein Taaramäe of Astana.[1] Teams A total of 11 ...

 

 

Bridgehampton Sports Car Races

Bridgehampton Sports Car RacesVenueBridgehampton Race CircuitFirst race1949Last race1971Most wins (driver)Walt Hansgen (7)Most wins (team)Briggs Cunningham (7)Most wins (manufacturer)Ferrari (3)Lola (3) The Bridgehampton Sports Car Races was a sports car race held at Bridgehampton Race Circuit between 1949 and 1971. History The first road races in Bridgehampton were held on public roads around the hamlet of Bridgehampton from 1915 until 1921. The course ran counterclockwise on an approximatel...

 

 

趙家驤

追晉陸軍二級上將趙家驤將軍个人资料出生1910年 大清河南省衛輝府汲縣逝世1958年8月23日(1958歲—08—23)（47—48歲） † 中華民國福建省金門縣国籍 中華民國政党 中國國民黨获奖 青天白日勳章（追贈）军事背景效忠 中華民國服役 國民革命軍 中華民國陸軍服役时间1924年－1958年军衔 二級上將 （追晉）部队四十七師指挥東北剿匪總司令部參謀長陸軍�...

Prospect Heights station

Commuter rail station in Prospect Heights, Illinois Prospect HeightsProspect Heights station in June 2021.General informationLocation55 South Wolf RoadProspect Heights, IllinoisCoordinates42°05′32″N 87°54′29″W / 42.0923°N 87.9080°W / 42.0923; -87.9080Owned byMetraPlatforms2 side platformsTracks2Connections Pace BusesConstructionAccessibleYesOther informationFare zone3HistoryOpenedAugust 19, 1996[1]Passengers2018304 (average weekday)[2]&...

 

 

Motherfucker

American vulgarism For other uses, see Motherfucker (disambiguation). Motherfuck redirects here. For the song, see Motherfuck (song). Freedom of speech sign with uncensored vulgarity held by a demonstrator at a protest in San Francisco, California Motherfucker (/ˈmʌðərfʌkər/), sometimes abbreviated as mofo, mf, or mf'er, is an English-language vulgarism. It is a form of the profanity fuck. The word is usually considered highly offensive.[1][better source needed]...

 

 

List of premiers of Alberta by time in office

This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: List of premiers of Alberta by time in office – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Premiers of Alberta by time served in office as of May 8, 2024. The premier always stays in office during an election campaig...

S. Epatha Merkerson

American actress (born 1952) S. Epatha MerkersonMerkerson in 2017BornSharon Epatha Merkerson[1][2][3] (1952-11-28) November 28, 1952 (age 71)Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.EducationWayne State University (BFA), New York University (MFA)OccupationActressYears active1976–present S. Epatha Merkerson[a] (born Sharon Epatha Merkerson; November 28, 1952) is an American actress. She has received accolades for her work, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award...

 

 

世界政區索引

此條目可能包含不适用或被曲解的引用资料，部分内容的准确性无法被证實。 (2023年1月5日)请协助校核其中的错误以改善这篇条目。详情请参见条目的讨论页。 各国相关 主題列表 索引 国内生产总值 石油储量 国防预算 武装部队（军事） 官方语言 人口統計 人口密度 生育率 出生率 死亡率 自杀率 谋杀率 失业率 储蓄率 识字率 出口额 进口额 煤产量 发电量 监禁率 死刑 国债 ...

 

 

1954 in music

Overview of the events of 1954 in music 1954 in music By location United Kingdom Norway By genre country jazz By topic List of albums released Overview of the events of 1954 in music List of years in music (table) … 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 … In radio 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 In television 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 In film 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 Art Archaeology Architecture Liter...

Josephine Gates Kelly

Artikel ini sebatang kara, artinya tidak ada artikel lain yang memiliki pranala balik ke halaman ini.Bantulah menambah pranala ke artikel ini dari artikel yang berhubungan atau coba peralatan pencari pranala.Tag ini diberikan pada Januari 2023. Josephine Gates KellyLahirJosephine Gates(1888-01-24)24 Januari 1888Cannon Ball, Dakota Utara, Amerika SerikatMeninggal23 Oktober 1976(1976-10-23) (umur 88)Dikenal atasKetua Suku wanita pertama di Amerika SerikatSuami/istriCovin Kelly ​...

 

 

Hunter River (New South Wales)

River in New South Wales, Australia Hunter RiverCoquon P.T.O., First Hunter Creek, Coal River[1]Ship entering the mouth of the Hunter River at NewcastleEtymologyIn honour of John Hunter[1]Native nameCoquun (Awabakal)LocationCountryAustraliaStateNew South WalesRegionNSW North Coast (IBRA), Sydney Basin (IBRA), HunterLocal government areasUpper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Maitland, Dungog, Port Stephens, NewcastleMajor settlements and townsAberdeen, Muswellbrook, Denma...

 

 

Rick Parfitt

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Parfitt. Rick Parfitt Rick Parfitt avec Status Quo à Örebro (Suède) en 2007.Informations générales Surnom The WOMORR(The Wild Old Man Of Rock'n'Roll) Nom de naissance Richard John Parfitt Naissance 12 octobre 1948Woking (Surrey) Décès 24 décembre 2016 (à 68 ans)Marbella (Andalousie) Activité principale Musicien, compositeur Genre musical Hard rock, boogie Instruments Guitare, chant Années actives 1967 - 2016 Site officiel Site officiel de Sta...

STU48

STU48 STU48のロゴマーク基本情報出身地 日本ジャンル J-POP活動期間 2017年3月31日 -レーベル You, Be Cool!/KING RECORDS事務所 STU共同作業者 秋元康AKB48グループ公式サイト STU48 OFFICIAL WEB SITEメンバー メンバーを参照旧メンバー 元メンバーを参照 STU48YouTubeチャンネル STU48 活動期間 2016年 -ジャンル 音楽登録者数 8.88万人総再生回数 4821万217回チャンネル登録者数・総再生回数は00000000...

 

 

Lieselotte Berger

German politician Lieselotte BergerLieselotte Berger (centre, standing) at a receptionMember of the BundestagIn office26 August 1971 – 26 September 1989 Personal detailsBorn(1920-11-13)13 November 1920BerlinDied26 September 1989(1989-09-26) (aged 68)Berlin, GermanyNationalityGermanPolitical partyCDU Lieselotte Berger (November 13, 1920 – September 26, 1989) was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and former member of the German Bundestag.[1 ...