Edward Hopper, meet Foust

I recently had a short email conversation with one of Migration’s artists, Foust. We talked a bit about the Edward Hopper show at the National Gallery of Art in DC. She said it gave her some new inspiration for her own work. That got me thinking just a little, and I realized how similar Foust’s and Hopper’s work already is.

A little history: Foust is a Richmond artist who makes linoleum block prints. We featured her work during our past summer show called Women in Printmaking: A Variety Show. We featured Foust’s Apartment series and Thieves series.

Many consider emptiness and silence to dominate Hopper’s scenes. For example, New Yorkers find themselves alone in the supposed privacy of their own homes and hotel rooms, but also in the public realm of restaurants, lobbies, theaters, and the street. I was particularly drawn to A Room in New York and A Room in Brooklyn. The loneliness and emotional isolation reminded me a lot of Foust’s Apartment series.

Regarding loneliness, Hopper said, "Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world."

Let’s compare…

   

   

Images include:  Top, Hopper Room in New York.  Second, Foust 7B Empty.  Third, Hopper Room in Brooklyn.  Bottom, Foust 12D Off the Hook.

Comments

[Foust]

I definitely felt a kind of kinship with Hopper when I was at the show. I've always known that he was one of my influences, but seeing so many of his pieces in one place really drove that point home. I overheard some other gallery-goers being mystified by some of the choices he made in his work, but it all made perfect sense to me.

Cheers!
Foust

[Rob Jones]

Kinship indeed! I finally made the connection with your work in Hopper’s “Room in New York”. The woman's posture and pose makes you squirm. So quiet and subtle, yet so powerful. -Rob