Edward
Hopper: Sugar Maple, 1938
We
poets all seem to love Edward Hopper,
But
do all his paintings deserve equal adulation?
The
Pomegranate 2016 Edward Hopper Calendar
Informs
us that the Hopper of this period,
Having
returned from Europe enthusiastic only
About
the possibilities of Impressionism.
Affirmed,
“I
like long shadows and late sunlight . . . I am trying
To
paint sunlight without eliminating the form
Under
it, if I can.”
But
what about the humans for which he is most famous, especially
Women
often alone, perhaps staring out a window, or slumped
On
the edge of a solitary bed in a sparely furnished room?
White
paint occupies about a quarter of this canvas, but
It
seems to be just one big cloud with little relation to any
Absent
solar source. There are no people or
even animals
Represented. I learn little or nothing about the trees’
Surrounding
soil, grass, and rocks, except that light and
Shadows
create shades of green and yellow leaves,
And,
without them,
a trunk simply remains black.
The
whole damn scene is pretty blurry. I
wouldn’t want
To
look at it up close or for too long. And
I have no idea
What
labor draws the sap from the tree, nor are my
Taste
buds stimulated. I am reminded of the
Cezanne
Who
fell in love with deep structures, as the human factor
Abandoned
his very still lifes for the livelier world
Depicted
by his friend, contemporary, and, often,
Companion
at their easels: Pissarro. And much as I hate to
Admit
it; in this period, at least, our greatest American painter
Was
not the equal of the Frenchman, Monet.
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