Hopper

I must admit that I new very little about Edward Hopper before this class. Yes, I had been to exhibits and am familiar with more of his works, but mostly as an amateur observer. Learning more about Hopper was fascinating. I was particularly intrigued bbyt Christopher Cartmill's presentation of the "moment after" concept. It is natural for one to assumer that the a painting or photograph is meant to make a statement about the specific moment captured. However, it become far more interesting when one puts that moment in a broader context and ponders where this moment falls in. What happened before? What will happen after? When we make photo albums capturing the memories of our past, we remember the setting of the photograph. If there's a picture of a friend holding you over a fountain, you know that the moment after involves your falling in. Why should art not try to emulate that as well?

I do have a little trouble when it comes to speculating about what the characters in a given piece are thinking. I value the intent of the artist highly, and I don't believe that there's as much room for interpretation as far as the characters are concerned. If Hopper tells us what the characters are talking about, that is one thing, but to invent for sport seems disrespectful.