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People in the Sun by Edward Hopper / American Art
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People in the Sun

1960 Edward Hopper Born: Nyack, New York 1882 Died: New York, New York 1967 oil on canvas 40 3/8 x 60 3/8 in. (102.6 x 153.4 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. 1969.47.61 Smithsonian American Art Museum
4th Floor, Luce Foundation Center



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People in the Sun



In Edward Hopper's People in the Sun, five men and women sit on a terrace beneath a vast blue sky. Stark contrasts and cool light emphasize the eerie expressions, frozen poses, and formal attire of the visitors. Hopper distilled his memories of tourist destinations in the American West to create a scene that is strangely familiar but nowhere in particular. The precisely staggered deck chairs and bands of color indicating mountains, sky, and grass create an abstracted environment that veers between a real view and a stage set, as if Hopper were replaying a silent film of a family vacation. People in the Sun suggests a crowd of tourists who feel obliged to take in a famous scenic view, but do so with little pleasure. The canvas may reflect Hopper's discomfort in the West, where he found himself unable to paint with his usual enthusiasm when confronted by the harsh light and monumental landscapes.

For more information about this work visit the Luce Foundation Center.


Keywords

Figure group

Figure(s) in exterior - rural

Landscape - mountain

Landscape - weather - sun

Object - furniture - chair

Object - furniture - chair

Recreation - leisure - reading

painting

paint - oil

fabric - canvas

About Edward Hopper

Born: Nyack, New York 1882 Died: New York, New York 1967

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Edward Hopper

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