People in the Sun

Edward Hopper, People in the Sun, 1960, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1969.47.61
Edward Hopper, People in the Sun, 1960, oil on canvas, 40 3860 38 in. (102.6153.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1969.47.61

Artwork Details

Title
People in the Sun
Date
1960
Dimensions
40 3860 38 in. (102.6153.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Object — furniture — chair
  • Landscape — weather — sun
  • Recreation — leisure — reading
  • Landscape — mountain
  • Figure group
Object Number
1969.47.61

Artwork Description

In People in the Sun, five people sit on the terrace of a hotel gazing toward a line of distant mountains. Stark contrasts and cool light emphasize their static poses and deadpan expressions. The painting was initially inspired by sunbathers in Washington Square Park near the New York City apartment the artist shared with his wife, artist Josephine Nivison. The two toured the country together and spent most summers on Cape Cod. Hopper changed the locale here to a western setting, drawing on memories of tourist destinations he visited in the American West. The figures, crowded into the lower left quadrant, observe but remain apart from the natural setting. The abstracted environment veers between a real view and a movie set, as if Hopper were silently replaying a film about the discomfort of city dwellers confronting the vastness of the western landscape.

Works by this artist (66 items)

Steve Fitch, Untitled (Drive-In: Black Screen), 1973, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.532, ©1973, Steve Fitch
Untitled (Drive-In: Black Screen)
Date1973
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Steve Fitch, Truckstop waitress, Highway 66, Gallup, New Mexico, 1972, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.521, ©1972, Steve Fitch
Truckstop waitress, Highway 66, Gallup, New Mexico
Date1972
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Steve Fitch, Motel, Highway 85, Deadwood, South Dakota, 1972, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.516, ©1972, Steve Fitch
Motel, Highway 85, Deadwood, South Dakota
Date1972
gelatin silver print
Not on view

Audio

Stop 103: People in the Sun

People in the Sun
1960, oil on canvas

EDWARD HOPPER
Born: Nyack, New York 1882– Died: New York, New York 1967

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