Edward Hopper (1882-1967), one of the most important American painters of the twentieth century, spent nearly every summer of his long artistic career in New England. This book presents many of Hopper's finest paintings of the region and examines the crucial role New England played in Hopper's development as an artist. Carl Little is author of Paintings of Maine and is a regular contributor to Art New England and Art in America.

A delightful account of Edward Hopper's sojourns in Vermont with his wife, Jo, illustrated by the watercolors and drawings that he made there

An insightful and beautiful look at how New England's summers have inspired American artists for decades With its stunning coastlines, mountains, lakes, forests, and scenic villages, New England has been an inspiration for American artists since the 19th century. This lively book considers the ways in which painters have responded to the region's summer beauty as well as to its social and cultural preoccupations and characteristics. Works by such artists as Fitz Henry Lane, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Maurice Prendergast, Marsden Hartley, Edward Hopper, Hans Hofmann, Andrew Wyeth, Alex Katz, and Yvonne Jacquette depict subjects as wide ranging as the bucolic delights of farms and fields to the atmospheric light of New England's rugged coasts to the ethnic and social diversity of urban street life. Painting Summer in New England highlights the various styles and influences revealed in these works, including photographic realism, Impressionism, Expressionism, and abstraction. In addition, Trevor Fairbrother discusses the tremendous array of works covered by the concept of "painting" and the remarkable richness of thematic imagery that can be seen and understood as "New England." This engaging book is a delightful and invaluable resource for those who live in or are admirers of New England and American art.

Edward and Jo Hopper first discovered Vermont in 1927, making day trips from the Whitney Studio Club's summer retreat for New York artists in Charlestown, New Hampshire. In 1935 and 1936 the Hoppers again traveled to Vermont, this time from their summer home in Cape Cod, in Edward's continuing search for new places to paint. During these quests they identified the White River and what Edward considered to be Vermont's "finest" river valley, and they returned there for longer visits in 1937 and 1938, boarding at Robert and Irene Slater's Wagon Wheels farm in South Royalton. These "vacations" were a change from the usual tempo of their lives, a break from the studio-bound easels, canvas, and oils, and an opportunity to paint something different, to be in a new place and paint en plein air. Over the course of his Vermont sojourns, Edward Hopper produced some two dozen paintings, watercolors that are among the most distinctive of his regional works, strongly characterized by place. In this accessible volume, Bonnie Tocher Clause tells the story of the Hoppers' visits to Vermont, their stays on the Slater farm, and their introduction to farm life. She locates the sites shown in Hopper's Vermont paintings, identifies two watercolors not previously recognized as Vermont scenes, and traces the development of Hopper's singular interpretations of the Vermont landscape. In Edward Hopper in Vermont, Clause details the provenance of the Vermont paintings through the years, tracking the history of sales leading to the works' ultimate homes with private collectors and museums. Showcasing all the Vermont paintings in color, this volume will delight both fans of Hopper's work and those who are fascinated by the story of the creation, collection, and business of producing great art.

An examination of artists and poets and the New England landscape that inspired their work.

A collection of inspiring essays by the photographer Robert Adams, who advocates the meaningfulness of art in a disillusioned society In Art Can Help, the internationally acclaimed American photographer Robert Adams offers over two dozen meditations on the purpose of art and the responsibility of the artist. In particular, Adams advocates art that evokes beauty without irony or sentimentality, art that "encourages us to gratitude and engagement, and is of both personal and civic consequence." Following an introduction, the book begins with two short essays on the works of the American painter Edward Hopper, an artist venerated by Adams. The rest of this compilation contains texts--more than half of which have never before been published--that contemplate one or two works by an individual artist. The pictures discussed are by noted photographers such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Emmet Gowin, Dorothea Lange, Abelardo Morell, Edward Ranney, Judith Joy Ross, John Szarkowski, and Garry Winogrand. Several essays summon the words of literary figures, including Virginia Woolf and Czeslaw Milosz. Adams's voice is at once intimate and accessible, and is imbued with the accumulated wisdom of a long career devoted to making and viewing art. This eloquent and moving book champions art that fights against disillusionment and despair.