Hotel Lobby
Encyclopedia
Hotel Lobby is an oil painting
on canvas
by American
realist painter Edward Hopper
, which is held in the collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
(IMA), in Indianapolis, Indiana
, United States
.
movies Hopper might have seen and the complex structure and feeling of works by Edgar Degas
.
The painting utilizes harsh light and rigid lines to create a "carefully constructed" uncomfortable environment. The elevated and theatrical vantage point
of the painting lends itself to Hopper's love for Broadway theatre
, which he often watched from the balcony.
, as a gift for his wife, Josephine. Nine of the ten studies are described as:
These studies show the older couple communicating, only to cease their conversation in the final painting and reading man is replaced with a blonde young woman reading in the final painting. The modeling for both women in the painting was done by his wife Josephine. After their marriage in 1920 she insisted on being the model for all of his female figures.
The coat the older woman wears is a fur, which is based on a fur coat owned by Hopper's wife, a coat she often wore to openings and a rare find in the Hopper's frugal household.
The red (that Jo, in her journal, describes as "coral") dress the older woman wears is believed to signify anger and extroversion, while the blue dress worn by the younger woman shows youth and distance. Throughout Hopper's sketches the clerk does not appear until the final painting. Under X-ray it can be seen that Hopper did little to change the canvas once he began work. Most alterations were made in the position of the young woman's head and that Hopper outlined some areas in dark blue paint. A partial underdrawing was found but little detail remains.
Hopper was known to model for himself for figures, as in Nighthawks, leading some to believe he may have modeled for the male figure in Hotel Lobby.
One of the few paintings by Hopper to lack windows, Hotel Lobby utilizes light from the revolving door and an unseen area from between the ceiling beams.
and a $500 honorarium
for Hotel Lobby. The painting was chosen by a jury composed of of Juliana Force, then director of the Whitney Museum
, and artists Raphael Soyer
and Reginald Marsh
. In regards to the painting, Chicago critic C.J. Bulliet
stated that "Mr. Hopper is getting a little lazy about the excellent formula he has hit. Hotel Lobby is typical Hopper, but Hopper that has lost something of its kick." The artwork has been compared to Hopper's earlier work Summer Interior (1909), a work that helped to create Hopper's signature style; an intimate setting, simple lines and geometry, flat color usage and moody light. A shadowy figure and a sensual woman each make another visit in Hotel Lobby as seen in Summer Interior.
.
From June until December 2006 the Whitney Museum, which has the largest holding of Hopper's works in the world, displayed Hotel Lobby alongside their own works and key loans such as Nighthawks
(1942) and New York Movie (1939). Hotel Lobby is currently on display in the Indianapolis Museum of Art's American Scene
Gallery. In 2008 the IMA exhibited the work alongside the ten studies on loan from the Whitney in Edward Hopper: Paper to Paint, which ran until January 2009.
. The book also appears in "City Limits: Crime, consumer culture and the urban experience" by Keith Hayward.
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
on canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
realist painter Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching...
, which is held in the collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
(IMA), in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Description
The painting depicts two women and a man in the lobby of a hotel. On the right is a woman with blond hair and a blue dress, sitting with her legs crossed and reading a book. To the left sits an older woman with a red dress, a coat and a hat. A man stands next to her, facing forward, with a suit on and an overcoat draped over his right arm. On the left wall, above the woman, is a framed landscape painting. A clerk behind the reception desk is barely visible in the shadows.Context
Hotel Lobby is a signature piece in Hopper's work, displaying his classic themes of alienation and brevity. The Hoppers traveled frequently, staying in many motels and hotels throughout his career. This is one of two works in his catalog that depicts a hotel, the other being Hotel Window (1955). It is also one of the two paintings that he created in 1952, both of which dealt with alienated couples. The older couple are believed to represent Hopper and his wife, themselves in their 60s. The hotel guests have been described as being "both traveling and suspended in time," reflecting a stoic and dramatic feeling, reminiscent of the film noirFilm noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
movies Hopper might have seen and the complex structure and feeling of works by Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas[p] , born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist...
.
The painting utilizes harsh light and rigid lines to create a "carefully constructed" uncomfortable environment. The elevated and theatrical vantage point
Vantage point
Vantage point may refer to:* Vantage Point , a 2008 thriller film* Vantage Point , a 2008 rock album by dEUS* The Vantage Point, a magazine* The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the Presidency, 1963-1969, the memoirs of Lyndon B...
of the painting lends itself to Hopper's love for Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, which he often watched from the balcony.
Sketches
Before he created the Hotel Lobby Hopper drew ten studies of the work, which are in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American ArtWhitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, as a gift for his wife, Josephine. Nine of the ten studies are described as:
- Study one was believed to have been made while Hopper was observing in a hotel lobby, with two seated figures separated by a lamp and table. That wall features a curtained opening, a registration desk and a painting on the wall, with the stairwell and railing on the left.
- Study two lacks the table and lamp, has another painting, which is separated from the other by a wall sconce, and one figure.
- Study three depicts the stairwell being moved into the background, a figure believed to be male stands in the open doorway to the left of the stairs and a woman is sitting to the left of the doorway, with an empty chair and a painting on the wall and a tiled floor.
- Study four is more refined and has greater detail and the stairs are removed with three people on the left: two seated figures next to a standing man. The rear doorway has a curtain, columns are on the reception desk, the ceiling appears to be beamed, a second painting is on the wall and a stripe is added to the floor.
- Study five is double sided. One side appears to be an abandoned diagram of a room. The reverse side shows the room with a more detailed revolving door and a return to a single, framed painting on the wall. The reception desk columns are more detailed, and the stripe on the floor was darkened.
- Study six is missing the seated figure from the left with only three remaining and in more detail. The figures and the elevator are in their final locations.
- Study seven shows the fourth figure reappearing by the couple. The ceiling, desk, revolving door, curtained doorway and elevator all have greater detail. The couple also appears to be having a conversation.
- Study eight was create to further detail the older woman's clothing and hands, showing her with a gold gloveGloveA glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each...
. - Study nine is a partial sketch of the younger woman who is reading, which shares the page with sketch eight, in greater detail. Until this sketch the other seated figure was a man.
These studies show the older couple communicating, only to cease their conversation in the final painting and reading man is replaced with a blonde young woman reading in the final painting. The modeling for both women in the painting was done by his wife Josephine. After their marriage in 1920 she insisted on being the model for all of his female figures.
The coat the older woman wears is a fur, which is based on a fur coat owned by Hopper's wife, a coat she often wore to openings and a rare find in the Hopper's frugal household.
The red (that Jo, in her journal, describes as "coral") dress the older woman wears is believed to signify anger and extroversion, while the blue dress worn by the younger woman shows youth and distance. Throughout Hopper's sketches the clerk does not appear until the final painting. Under X-ray it can be seen that Hopper did little to change the canvas once he began work. Most alterations were made in the position of the young woman's head and that Hopper outlined some areas in dark blue paint. A partial underdrawing was found but little detail remains.
Hopper was known to model for himself for figures, as in Nighthawks, leading some to believe he may have modeled for the male figure in Hotel Lobby.
One of the few paintings by Hopper to lack windows, Hotel Lobby utilizes light from the revolving door and an unseen area from between the ceiling beams.
Reception
In 1945 Hopper was awarded the Logan Medal of the ArtsLogan Medal of the arts
The Logan Medal of the Arts was an arts prize initiated in 1907 and associated with the Art Institute of Chicago. From 1917 through 1940, 270 awards were given....
and a $500 honorarium
Honorarium
An honorarium is an ex gratia payment made to a person for their services in a volunteer capacity or for services for which fees are not traditionally required. This is used by groups such as schools or sporting clubs to pay coaches for their costs...
for Hotel Lobby. The painting was chosen by a jury composed of of Juliana Force, then director of the Whitney Museum
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, and artists Raphael Soyer
Raphael Soyer
Raphael Soyer was a Russian-born American painter, draftsman, and printmaker. Soyer was referred to as an American scene painter...
and Reginald Marsh
Reginald Marsh
Reginald Marsh may refer to:* Reginald Marsh , American painter most notable for his detailed depictions of life in New York City in the 1920s* Reginald Marsh , actor in many British sitcoms...
. In regards to the painting, Chicago critic C.J. Bulliet
Clarence Joseph Bulliet
Clarence Joseph Bulliet, or "C.J." Bulliet, was an American art critic and author.Bulliet grew up in Corydon, Indiana and graduated in 1904 from Indiana University. For nine years he pursued a journalism career in Indianapolis...
stated that "Mr. Hopper is getting a little lazy about the excellent formula he has hit. Hotel Lobby is typical Hopper, but Hopper that has lost something of its kick." The artwork has been compared to Hopper's earlier work Summer Interior (1909), a work that helped to create Hopper's signature style; an intimate setting, simple lines and geometry, flat color usage and moody light. A shadowy figure and a sensual woman each make another visit in Hotel Lobby as seen in Summer Interior.
Ownership and exhibition history
The painting was in the collection of Henry Hope from Bloomington, IndianaBloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
.
From June until December 2006 the Whitney Museum, which has the largest holding of Hopper's works in the world, displayed Hotel Lobby alongside their own works and key loans such as Nighthawks
Nighthawks
Nighthawks is a 1942 painting by Edward Hopper that portrays people sitting in a downtown diner late at night. It is considered Hopper's most famous painting, as well as one of the most recognizable in American art...
(1942) and New York Movie (1939). Hotel Lobby is currently on display in the Indianapolis Museum of Art's American Scene
American scene painting
American scene painting refers to a naturalist style of painting and other works of art of the 1920s through the 1950s in the United States. American scene painting is also known as Regionalism....
Gallery. In 2008 the IMA exhibited the work alongside the ten studies on loan from the Whitney in Edward Hopper: Paper to Paint, which ran until January 2009.
Publications
In 1996 Hotel Lobby was used as the paperback cover for the book Hotel Paradise by Martha GrimesMartha Grimes
Martha Grimes is an American author of detective fiction.She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to William Dermit Grimes, Pittsburgh's city solicitor, and to June Dunnington, who owned the Mountain Lake Hotel in Western Maryland where Martha and her brother spent much of their childhood. Grimes...
. The book also appears in "City Limits: Crime, consumer culture and the urban experience" by Keith Hayward.
See also
- AutomatAutomat (painting)Automat is a painting by Edward Hopper which portrays a lone woman staring into a cup of coffee in an Automat at night. The reflection of identical rows of light fixtures stretches out through the night-blackened window....
, 1927 - Chop SueyChop Suey (painting)Chop Suey is a painting by Edward Hopper which portrays two women in conversation at a restaurant. According to some art scholars, one "striking detail of Chop Suey is that its female subject faces her doppelgänger." Others have pointed out it would not be so unusual for two women to be wearing...
, 1929 - NighthawksNighthawksNighthawks is a 1942 painting by Edward Hopper that portrays people sitting in a downtown diner late at night. It is considered Hopper's most famous painting, as well as one of the most recognizable in American art...
, Hopper's most famous painting. - Office at NightOffice at NightOffice at Night is a 1940 painting by the American realist painter Edward Hopper. It is currently owned by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota which purchased the painting in 1948....
, 1940 - Office in a Small CityOffice in a Small CityOffice in a Small City is a 1953 painting by the American realist painter Edward Hopper. It depicts a man sitting in a corner office surveying the landscape outdoors. The style is reminiscent of many of Hopper's works in that it depicts loneliness and beauty in a uniquely stark yet pleasing...
, 1953
Further reading
- Tallack, D. (2002). 'Waiting, waiting': the hotel lobby, in the modern city. The Hieroglyphics of Space. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415198929 Discusses the ideas behind hotel lobbies as symbols of culture, including the painting.
- Warkel, Harriet. Paper to Paint: Edward Hopper’s "Hotel Lobby." Indianapolis Museum of ArtIndianapolis Museum of ArtThe Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
. 2009. ISBN 978-0936260846 Catalog that coordinated with the 2008 exhibition.
External links
- 14 A Hotel Lobby, Kevin Grandfield talks about his visit to the IMA to view the Hopper's in their collection