Monday, March 02, 2009

Did Edward Hopper Influence Photographers?


There’s another Hopper exhibit, this time in San Francisco, reported in the Art section of the Sunday New York Times. For its 30th anniversary, the Fraenkel Gallery has put together a show that attempts to connect certain paintings by the Truro master with work by famous photographers, like Diane Arbus represented by the gallery. The themes are similar, most notably loneliness. The exhibit is described here. Sven says, “Hopper reflects the alienated, lonely people that were a product of the Depression and the chaos of the 1930s, a world that had become impossible to comprehend.” The photos in question do not prove Fraenkel’s thesis, in my opinion. Then I looked through my photo file and could not find one image that represents loneliness, except perhaps this old camper. I’m sure there are lonely people here at Cape Cod, but apparently my subconscious is not intent on capturing them on film. So, perhaps Fraenkel is right about Hopper’s influence on photographers? What do you think?