Edward Hopper @ Paris

Finally
made it to the
Hopper Expo
@ le Grand Palais…Paris
after hearing about it
from friends
only stood in line for
an hour and a half
with Dutch friend Willemijn
cold and wet
but worth it

Incredibly
popular in Paris
600 thousand visitors
since opening in mid october

Interestingly
Hopper lived in the same building
48 rue de Lille
where I work at
le Pavé d’Orsay
3 of his early works are
the courtyard
the steps
the rooftop

Fascinatingly
Hopper’s life spanned
from 1882 to 1967
through 2 world wars
up til Vietnam war
early works include
horses and buggies
later works include
gas pumps and “esso” signs

Strangely
many find Hopper’s work
lonely
alienating
mysterious
they are
but I think his
subject matter
like a Jim Jarmusch film
gives interest to
the uninteresting
bits of life:
backside of houses
moments before the concert
conversations about to happen

Repeatedly
Hopper’s paintings
involve a window
and
a source of light
outside
or
inside
the play of light
on a room
or a building
or a person
one could say
in the midst of the mundane
he was looking for the light

maybe something we should all be doing