Edward Hopper (1882-1967) was a solitary man at home by the sea, amid the sand, dune grass and low-lying shrubs. He and his fellow artist wife Josephine Nivison (1883-1968) lived frugally in a New York City walk-up apartment and in their 805 square foot summer studio house on Stevens Way in South Truro, which they built in 1934. "It's just a summer cottage, as primitive as the land it's in," his wife, Josephine, once wrote to a friend. And the lucky owner -Anton Schiffenhaus, whose family inherited the Hopper house when Josephine, a friend of his mother's, passed away in 1968 (10 months after her husband). Even today, the roughly 30-acre swath stretching north remains mostly untouched, with only the tops of a few new homes visible to visitors. You can read the full article here: Cape Cod, in Edward Hopper’s Light .
The cottages above Corn Hill beach are still there, only now surrounded by more outlandish structures.
You can see that Hopper had a slightly different angle, and lots of trees have grown since. The house sits at the end of Depot Road in Truro and is owned by Patricia Bartlett.
"Sometimes there would be up to thirty people in the parking lot painting my house", she said in a interview with the NY Times. Read the whole article here: Edward Hopper’s Cape Cod: Then and Now.
Set back from the shore at Phats Valley Road near Truro's station.
The scene to the left is still very recognizable. Via.
The perfect place to spend the night, one of Provincetown's oldest guest houses -The Sunset Inn.
Hopper liked to work alone and sometimes painted while sitting in his Buick (purchased in 1927), his watercolor board propped against the steering wheel. He loved his car. It insulated him from people, and he could quickly disappear into the same branching maze of dirt lanes and tarmac back roads that wind through Truro -from Solitude's Shore.
26 comments:
Such beautiful paintings! Love how you showed the current day scenery to his paintings! Great post!
Tina
What a wonderful post! I love Edward Hopper's paintings! So nice to see that the places he loved are still there and still beautiful!
What a fabulously nostalgic story.
hopper could capture shadows and light like no one else. his work is an inspiration to so many artists. thank you for this awesome post.
Being from Ontario, Canada, it would be a nice drive!
We were just talking about Cape Cod. One of my "have to" see places on my list.
Thanks for the beautiful pics and info.
Happy MM
Love Claudie
xo
Truro is a delightful stretch of beach I know well the painting collection that you are sharing this week is simply beautiful.
Edward Hopper sure knew how to capture the beauty of the beach.
I love your take on a Met Monday! Great post!!
The first one put me in mind of Andrew Wythe's work! Thank you for introducing me to an artist I was unfamiliar with. Have a blessed day!
Gorgeous. Gorgeous houses too.
Simply beautiful works of art! Both the paintings and the homes/places they depict!
You live in a beautiful corner of the world, Maya!
another bautiful post dear Maya. I especially love the old photographs.
Thank you --- how fun to see the paintings and the photographs. I really do love original paintings they capture such a feeling that is not quite the same with photos.
-Angela
I love seeing all of the cottages. It's amazing how I never tire of Cape scenery. So excited to hear you were over this way...the view from the lighthouse is amazing.
This post was so interesting, I so enjoyed seeing the "then and now" comparisons.
Nice to see actual photographs of Hopper and his wife along with such a nice collection of his paintings.
I love Hopper, and I loved seeing the photos of the realy homes now. So cool! Thanks for sharing this tour of Hopper's world.
This was a great post. Every house made me want to go for a visit. Thanks for doing this post.
I hope you will come for a visit.
Cheri
Its So Very Cheri
How cool that he often painted in his car. When I look at older homes like this, I wonder about holidays celebrated, sorrows shared, storms weathered at the ocean's edge. And I always wonder if they're still "in the family".
I love his work. What an artist! And what scenery depicted in them!
Brenda
Oh Maya, what a lovely piece to read today. The story is fascinating isn't it? He was the epitome of a talented genius, reclusive and brilliant. I love the story of happening upon one of his painted scenes and the delight that follows. Thanks very much for this..
XOSue
Maya sent me and I really enjoyed this post. The National Gallery in Washington DC staged a Hopper exhibit last year and I went to see it several times during its 5 month stay.
Duh, it just dawned on me Maya that this was your other site. Long day at the computer!
GREAT post... love seeing the paint and actual houses!
always loved Hopper!
That's my house! The one on the right in Cottages at Wellfleet. I'm happy to report that almost all of the cottages on that bluff are still owned by the original families. My great grandfather built them and kept one, handing it down. Not a day goes by that I don't realize how lucky we are! Many happy memories. Great post! Cheers!
Thank you so much "Anonymous" for sharing this! What a wonderful spot!
Thank you so much, this article is just great.I have come to the Cape from Germany and with this it is very easy to find the original "Hopper-places".From my room I can see Longpoint-Lighthouse and had not realized that it is LONG LEG until I read your article.As the house is gone, I just did not see it- especially as also the name is slightly different. THANK YOU again.
Marianne
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