Have you ever stood in front of a towering piece of art and thought, “How on earth did he do that?” Of course you have. I mean, you’re not an animal, right? The creative process, as it pertains to any master work, is both individualistic and fascinating. Edward Hopper, the long-reigning King of Modern Realism, used charcoal sketches to work out his ideas long before putting oil to canvas. In that spirit, the drawings included via this exhibition provide a window into how Hopper created a sense of depth, atmosphere, and intimacy; how he tapped into a universal spectrum of warmth and isolation, capturing the very essence of everyday life in the unique vistas of America.
Hopper Drawing includes the most engaging of more than 2,500 early drawings, all of which were bequeathed to the Whitney Museum by Edward Hopper’s widow, Josephine. Included in the exhibition are early sketches of now-famous oil paintings, Early Sunday Morning, Nighthawks and Office at Night among them. Hopper Drawing also showcases several of the photos, blueprints, and texts Hopper used to ensure all of his work was true-to-scale.
(Hopper Drawing runs through 10/6 at The Whitney Museum of Art, $20 general admission, 945 Madison Ave @ 75th Street)
Five More For The Offing:
- Llyn Foulkes @ New Museum ($14 admission, through 9/1, 235 Bowery)
- Structure Brought to Life by Henri Labrouste @ The Museum of Modern Art ($25, through 6/24, 11 West 53rd Street)
- Woods, Lovely, Dark, and Deep @ DC Moore Gallery (Free, through 8/15, 535 West 22nd Street)
- Maekawa @ Steven Kasher Gallery (Free, through 6/29, 521 West 23rd Street)
- A spring a thousand years ago by John Zurier @ Peter Blum Gallery (Free, through 6/29, 20 West 57th Street)