http://artbinge.wordpress.com/tag/the-whitney/
From my previous posts, it can be inferred that I am curious about the buzz, hustle and bustle and the level of "activity" in New York City, especially in Manhattan. Apparently, the "rich windows", "huge hotels", "side-walks wide" and "mincing, shuffling feet" as described in 'Broadway' by Whitman characterize life in New York. Furthermore, there are shopping marts like 'Walgreens' which are full of convincing salespersons for whom 'you' are just a means to the completion of their weekly or monthly target. Then, these towering residential and commercial buildings not only belittle your individual existence but also make 'you' feel insignificant and weak. Finally, how can I forget the subways and the subway stations who, with their "expressways" and unfathomable routes and schedules, play their own part in this modern drama of discarding individual identity.
So after spending three eventful days in New York and a delightful afternoon in the Whitney Museum appreciating Hopper's work on New York city in particular and other works in general, I feel inclined to ask the following questions: Is modernization equivalent to De-individualization? Can someone be modern and maintain his individual identity at the same time or does it have to be a trade-off?
Hopper's work struck me because, unlike other artists of his time and unlike the common perception about the modern New York city, his perception goes way deeper right at the heart of the interior of this wonderfully 'modern' city. The image of this woman (see top), sitting alone in a cubicle like claustrophobic but well furnished room, with her back to the observer epitomizes the loneliness and desolation of an individual in this city which is ironically bustling with crowds. The dark colors perhaps add to the 'darkness' of the interior of New York despite its brightly lit streets and buildings and the fact that the painting does not utilize the full frame might have something to say about the notion of being incomplete that individuals living in New York might have. Furthermore, like other works of Hopper such as "A woman in the sun" and the "Morning Sun", this painting, with the woman facing the closed door of the room, also gives a sense that she is waiting for somebody or something to happen and until then her life seems to have arrived at a standstill even though "Business goes on as usual" in the city.
So as I examine life in NY more closely, I become more and more curious about what is 'really' inside these crowds?
Whitman and Hopper both share a commitment, I think, to "realistic" representation -- a term that, in this case, should be taken to connote a commitment to representing subjects ignored by previous art and (particularly for these) two representing the human body without being shy about its implicit sexuality. The affinities between their bodies of work can be extended to some of the other figures we've discussed or experienced: Thomas Eakins, Gustave Courbet, and Giacomo Puccini.
ReplyDeleteBut, having said that, doesn't it seem that Whitman and Hopper lived in radically different cities -- not just temporally but also temperamentally. Whitman's poetry is ebullient and optimistic and teeming with life, whereas Hopper's art seems to depict the fundamental loneliness of modern life. Two different takes on the idea of individualism.