Remember: even though several pages are just paintings, look at those too! There are different types of 'reading' to do in this book, so think about how the paintings work with the text. That will be important for answering the questions, and later, for your next paper assignment.
Answer TWO of the following:
Q1: According to Schmeid, what makes Hopper a "timeless" painter? Also, what makes him uniquely American? Why do his paintings look American as opposed to French or German? How can you see this in a painting?
Q2: Hopper writes that "Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision in the world" (33). According to what we learn about him in these pages, how did his 'inner life' match up with some of his paintings? Which painting in this section seems to most represent his character?
Q3: One of his most curious paintings is Gas (1940) on pages 30-31. Schmeid notes that the painting is "set at the frontier between day and night, between civilization and nature. The gas station has the appearance of a last outpost" (30). How do you feel about this painting? Is it supposed to be depressing or hopeful? A 'light' in the darkness? Or a scene of the 'darkness' about to take over the light? How does it make you feel (and why)?
Q4: How might the painting New York Movie (1939) represent Schmeid's comment that "Hopper's paintings began to take on the character of illustrations in reverse, illustrations without a subject predetermined by others" (40)? Why might this painting look like an "illustration" rather than just a painting of a woman?
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