Edward Hopper in Vermont
By: Bonnie Tocher Clause
Contributors: Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967
Edition: 1st [edition].
Publisher: University Press of New England
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Lebanon
Language: eng
Number of pages: 214
ISBN-13: 9781611683288; 9781611683295
Subjects: In art; Homes and haunts; Criticism and interpretation
Description: This work ia an account of Edward Hopper's sojourns in Vermont with his wife, Jo, illustrated by the watercolors and drawings that he made there. Edward and Jo Hopper first discovered Vermont in 1927, making day trips from the Whitney Studio Club's summer retreat for New York artists in Charlestown, New Hampshire. In 1935 and 1936 the Hoppers again traveled to Vermont, this time from their summer home in Cape Cod, in Edward's continuing search for new places to paint. During these quests they identified the White River and what Edward considered to be Vermont's "finest" river valley, and they returned there for longer visits in 1937 and 1938, boarding at Robert and Irene Slater's Wagon Wheels farm in South Royalton. These "vacations" were a change from the usual tempo of their lives, a break from the studio-bound easels, canvas, and oils, and an opportunity to paint something different, to be in a new place and paint en plein air. Over the course of his Vermont sojourns, Edward Hopper produced some two dozen paintings, watercolors that are among the most distinctive of his regional works, strongly characterized by place. In this volume, the author tells the story of the Hoppers' visits to Vermont, their stays on the Slater farm, and their introduction to farm life. She locates the sites shown in Hopper's Vermont paintings, identifies two watercolors not previously recognized as Vermont scenes, and traces the development of Hopper's singular interpretations of the Vermont landscape. Here the author details the provenance of the Vermont paintings through the years, tracking the history of sales leading to the works' ultimate homes with private collectors and museums. Showcasing all the Vermont paintings in color, this volume tells the story of the creation, collection, and business of producing great art.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.