Sapphire magazine Edward Hopper

Eward Hopper (1882 - 1967) managed to do something very few artists have achieved. Success in his lifetime - although it did take him quite a while. The first half of his life he was a struggling artist just like every other artist he knew in Greenwhich Village.
Gifted from an early age, he started showing his drawing talent at age five.
When he decided on art as a career, his parents insisted he study commercial art as well, to insure he at least had a means of support.
He studied at the New York Institute of Art and Design for six years.
His parents advice paid off when he got a job doing illustrations for trade publications to pay the bills.
But he still wanted to explore his art though other means.
He went to Europe three times, specifically Paris, to study the art scene there.
He spent a lot of time drawing street and cafe scenes.
It was also around this time that he started experimenting with dark coloured pallets.
Returning to New York, he moved to Greenwhich Village and made his living by doing illustrations for magazines.
He thougth his career might take off after selling an important painting at the age of 31, but he still had a long way to go.
It wasn't until 1923 that his work was really starting to be appreciated. It was a long slow climb.
His works were being well recieved both by critics and public.
Hopper fared better than many other artists during the Great Depression. His stature took a sharp rise in 1931 when major museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, paid thousands of dollars for his work.
It was during the 1930s and 40s that he produced some of his most famous
works. They details many dark and sombre street scenes detailing life in and urband big city of the time.
One of his most famous works, Nighthawks, has become an iconic
American street scene. IT has been re-produced in many forms
for pop art, and even as a scene in the Steve Martin movie, Pennies
from Heaven.
He rarely spoke about his work or himself.
He summed up his career by saying "The whole answer is there
on the Canvas."