Ground Swell, 1939

Auteur
Edward Hopper
Catégories
Art, Art > Painting

Despite its bright palette and seemingly serene subject, Ground Swell echoes the themes of loneliness and escape typical of Hopper's oeuvre. The blue sky, sun-kissed figures, and vast rolling water strike a calm note in the picture; however, the visible disengagement of the figures from each other and their noticeable preoccupation with the bell buoy placed at the center of the canvas call into question this initial sense of serenity. The lone dark element in a sea of blues and whites, the buoy confronts the small catboat in the middle of an otherwise empty seascape. Its purpose, to emit a warning sound in advance of unseen or imminent danger, renders its presence in the picture ominous. The cirrus clouds in the blue sky—often harbingers of approaching storms—reinforce this sense of disturbance in the otherwise peaceful setting. Although Hopper resisted offering explanations of his paintings, the signs of impending danger here may also reference a more severe disturbance: during the time that Hopper worked on Ground Swell, from August to September 15, 1939, World War II broke out in Europe.


Datas

Permalink

https://demo.limb-gallery.com/idurl/1/3126

Iiif Manifest

https://demo.limb-gallery.com/iiif/3126/manifest


See Also

Sujet
Painting
American
Landscape
Social Realism


Location


États-Unis
New York

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sea

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Corcoran Gallery of Art
Ground Swell
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Oil painting
Oil paint
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