Edward Hoppers Portrayal Of The Modern American City

An earlier painting created by Edward Hopper was named Automat , which was first displayed on 14th February 1927 which depicts a singular woman staring into a cup in an Automat at night. The image is uncertain, it is ambiguous as to why the woman is there and what her mood is, however the emphasis is clearly on the well-dressed woman with her legs being the lightest spot within the room in a dark canvas. The modern American city is displayed as dark and dismal in the painting with the reflection of rows of light fixtures stretched out through the blackened window into the streets. This painting shows an unusual reflection of the city as not a colourful exciting place but one of seclusion and emptiness. Hoppers work represents a transitional

Edward Hopper portrays the cinema differently to how one would expect within his art. His painting New York Movie depicts the usher pondering over her own thoughts which is a complete contrast to the action on screen. Mike McKieman describes this as ‘two horizontal brass hand-rails complete the critical division between the subdued but luxuriant glow of fantasy land and the harsh glare of the real world.’ Therefore Hoppers portrayal of the modern American city is that of the melancholy and seclusion that many people experience while living in a city. In addition to this McKieman suggests that ‘in front, tied-back burnt-orange curtains reveal grey-blue carpeted stairs, which lead up and out of the cinema into the threatening world beyond.’ Hopper is emphasising within the painting that the cinema is an extravagant place where our mental state is transformed for the duration of the film and takes the viewers mind away from the outside world and in doing so revealing the more realistic take on the modern American city. In regard to the modern American city, Henry Luce created the term American Century as the move from rural to urban environments became popular. This was an important transformation as it changed the society people were living in (city vs country). The key shift from the rural area is a knowledgeable community compared to the city which creates fluidity and the chance to recreate yourself. There was a huge influx of people into American cities which allows a sense of freedom, the past can more easily be hidden. Modernity is also seen as technology transformed the production and consumption of culture therefore modernity, the city and its technology furnished artists and writers with new subject matter. As a result of this new styles had to be found to capture the