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De Botton and Hopper
I mostly agree with De Botton’s point of view on Hopper’s art, but not in fully.
On the one hand I would say that De Botton achieves in expressing what lie underneath Hopper’s paintings: they show still moments of aloneness, afar from the crowd, men and women depicted in their intimacy, in their bareness made of flaws and disillusion.
On the other hand I don’t agree with De Botton’s title Pleasures of sadness. As he wrote Hopper’s art is not provoking a sense of sadness in us, as though his paintings are all about isolation and loneliness.
Nonethless I find Hopper mercilessly relentless in his truthful representation of the american society: there’s an unforgiving sense of void conveyed by the backdops of his paintings, like they were mirrors of the inner isolation that the people portraited are experiencing.
They are a plain, non-judgemental representations of this state of being and in this Hopper maybe can be realistic, though I can feel through his images a sort of hopeless stillness subtly despairing of something good out there.
That said I must admit that I like his paintings very much, in my opinion noone has been able to put on canvas this imagery about alienating solitudes like he has done, albeit I would not be comfortable in having one of them hanging up on one of my walls.
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2 Replies
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@chiara I loved reading this account and imagined having a tea together discussing it! Extremely well expressed Chiara, I don’t think this task is in any way easy, especially in a second language. Your writing is fluid and your vocabulary is perfect.
I’ve written a note on a few things to check, but I think I’m being a bit picky. I really can’t say enough how good this piece is.
(ps. I, on the other hand, would love a Hopper hanging on my wall … it appeals to my moodiness… I find such comfort in melancholy. I’m such a weirdo 😂😂)
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Thanks for your words Kerin!
Actually I did enjoy this task a lot, as I’m really into art and as I like Hopper so much, his art always touches me deep inside me and makes me think a lot.
And you’re not picky, your corrections are very useful for me indeed.
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