Edward Hopper & Facts

‘Morning Sun’ by Edward Hopper 1952

I have been drawn to the paintings of Edward Hopper for a long time. Their melancholic atmosphere and learned weariness prompts feelings within that I generally push into the background. His work is extremely skillful and beautiful. What I didn’t realise was how relevant his process of creating these paintings was to mine.

Pencil detail with notes and suggestions.

Hopper said that he ‘always started a painting from facts.’ He needed an analytical base upon which to build a story, paint a narrative. As an architect, it made me think how important the study of facts through a detailed site analysis and design brief is for a building to ultimately have depth and richness.

Sketches and detail notes in Hoppers ledger sketchbooks.

His notebooks and sketches are wondrous things. Although they reveal his very tactical and precise process; even down to the money ledger of cost and materials, his finished painting is imbued with emotion and impossible not to be affected by.

Chalk drawing study of overall composition.