What is Automat by Edward Hopper about?

Woman
Automat/Subject

The painting portrays a lone woman staring into a cup of coffee in an automat at night. The reflection of identical rows of light fixtures stretches out through the night-blackened window. Hopper’s wife, Jo, served as the model for the woman. However, Hopper altered her face to make her younger (Jo was 44 in 1927).

What themes does Edward Hopper’s 1927 painting Automat Express?

Automat. Hopper’s Automat captures a woman who has stepped out of the busy urban scene incumbent with necessary human interaction, taking refuge in the respite provided by a local diner. This image perfectly captures Hopper’s brilliant depictions of the isolation of the individual within the modern urban city.

How did Edward Hopper feel about modern life?

For the message of Hopper is that modern life can be very lonely. His people are as isolated among others in a diner or restaurant as they are at their apartment windows. In this he is typical of modernist art.

Why did the automat go out of business?

Another contributing factor to their demise was the inflation of the 1970s, increasing food prices which made the use of coins increasingly inconvenient in a time before bill acceptors commonly appeared on vending equipment. At one time, there were 40 Horn & Hardart automats in New York City alone.

Are there any automats left in the US?

According to the New York Times, the last true automat closed its doors in 1991. More than two decades later, though, Eatsa has given the automat a 21st century makeover.

What statement best describes Edward Hopper’s approach to painting?

Which statement best describes Edward Hopper’s approach to painting? Hopper painted in a representational style, yet did not strive for meticulous detail.

Why was Edward Hopper important?

Edward Hopper, (born July 22, 1882, Nyack, N.Y., U.S.—died May 15, 1967, New York City), American painter whose realistic depictions of everyday urban scenes shock the viewer into recognition of the strangeness of familiar surroundings. He strongly influenced the Pop art and New Realist painters of the 1960s and 1970s.

Did Edward Hopper use perspective in most of his paintings?

Haunting House Hopper is famous for painting scenes of urban and rural American life. Many of his paintings have a lonely or isolated mood. Hopper painted the house using two-point perspective. The house is set diagonally to the viewer; we see two sides at once.

Why is repetition important in art?

Seen as one of the fundamentals of creativity, repetition, in a similar manner to the rhythm, helps to create a sense of movement within an artwork. In visual production, it is a recurrence of a particular line, pattern, shape, or other visual elements in a single or part of the series.

When did Edward Hopper paint the automat painting?

Automat (painting) Automat is a 1927 painting by the American realist painter Edward Hopper. The painting was first displayed on Valentine’s Day 1927 at the opening of Hopper’s second solo show, at the Rehn Galleries in New York City. By April it had been sold for $1,200. The painting is today owned by the Des Moines Art Center in Iowa.

How old is the woman in Edward Hopper’s Automat?

However, Hopper altered her face to make her younger (Jo was 44 in 1927). He also altered her figure; Jo was a curvy, full-figured woman, while one critic has described the woman in the painting as “‘boyish’ (that is, flat-chested)”.

What does empty chair mean in Automat by Edward Hopper?

Additionally, the empty chair across from her further symbolizes that she is without company as the vacant furniture accentuates the mostly unoccupied space. While it remains unknown as to what the woman’s plan is, it can be concurred that the woman is meant to symbolize reclusiveness.

What did Edward Hopper mean by Abstract Expressionism?

Indeed, by providing a minimum of action, stripping away almost any sign of life or mobility, and adding dramatic means of representation with striking lighting schemes in claustrophobic spaces, Hopper suggests something of the psychological inner life of his subjects, leading the way towards Abstract Expressionism.