From Publishers Weekly
Poet Strand intuitively captures the spirit of American realist Edward Hopper's (1882-1967) paintings in this latest entry in Ecco's Writers on Art series. Hopper's people, he writes, whether glimpsed in hotel rooms, diners, storefronts or gas stations, "seem to have nothing to do. They are like characters whose parts have deserted them and now, trapped in the space of their waiting, must keep themselves company with no clear place to go, no future." In his spare, precise commentaries on two dozen paintings, which are reproduced here in black-and-white, Strand peels away layers of poetic meaning and symbolism to pierce the private dramas implicit in Hopper's lonely, brooding canvases. Strand calls Sun in an Empty Room (1963) "a vision of the world without us; not merely a place that excludes us, but a place emptied of us." That formulation suggests the stark, slightly menacing atmosphere that makes Hopper's pictures still look so modern. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Mark Strand, former U.S. poet laureate, trains his critic's eye on 23 of Edward Hopper's most famous works. With tremendous insight he examines and debunks the heretofore limited view of the gifted American realist. Reaching beyond the obvious themes of alienation and solitude that permeate Hopper's work, Strand presents a view of the chronicler of everyday spaces and scenes that brings clarity and understanding to the temperamental soul whose memorable work continues to enthrall 50 years later.

ANNOTATION

Recent U.S. poet laureate Mark Strand examines the work of frequently misunderstood American painter Edward Hopper, whose enigmatic paintings--of gas stations, storefronts, cafeterias, and hotel rooms--number among the most powerful of our time. Featured in a series of upcoming museum lectures. Illustrations throughout.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Edward Hopper's paintings are icons of American culture. His representations of gas stations, storefronts, cafeterias and hotel rooms embody the solitude of travel and adult life in the America of the thirties, forties and fifties. Because of the familiarity of his subject matter, Hopper has been pigeon-holed both historically, as an American realist, and thematically, as an artist of alienation. Mark Strand, recent poet laureate and writer of many books of award-winning poetry, approaches Hopper's work with a fresh eye, exploring the aesthetic principles behind the paintings. Strand, whose poems move through a terrain similar to that portrayed by Hopper, possesses a unique and powerful understanding of what makes the paintings so moving and memorable. He writes with his distinctive clarity and grace, examining twenty-three of Hopper's most important works. He cites aesthetic reasons for Hopper's continuing ability to deeply move people in an America that has grown considerably more complex both politically and socially since mid-century.

SYNOPSIS

This is an expanded edition of the eminent poet's commentary on Edward Hopper's paintings. The original edition was published in 1994 (The Ecco Press). Each painting is shown small, in b&w, accompanied by Strand's interpretation.

Annotation © Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly