As teenagers, my friends and I often took rides along Rt. 9W into Nyack, NY, on Sunday afternoons just to walk the streets and shop in the bead stores and "hippee" (or is it hippy?) type stores that we were so fond of. It was a cute little village.
Last week, I returned because of Edward Hopper.
Edward Hopper....one of my most favorite artists. My husband and I went back to Nyack, to Hopper's boyhood home, for an exhibit of his paintings, drawings, and family photos. Also on exhibit were his easel, a paint box, and one of his paint brushes, and oh my goodness, that brush was at least 2 feet long! Maybe even 3 feet in length!
Edward Hopper's paintings had a big impact on me as a young lady and student of art. I loved everything about his works. I credit Hopper for my interest in architecture.
After touring the home, we went walking to see a few of the actual sites that his paintings were based on.
First, his home.
The south side of the home was built in 1858 in the Colonial style. The north side (right) was built in 1882, the year Hopper was born.
This presently unoccupied store is what is believed to be the basis for Hopper's Seven AM.
And this would be the old home of Helen Hayes and Charles MacArthur, and the resulting painting, which was the only commisisioned work that Hopper ever did.
Unfortunately for those of us who are only visitors to the town, but for the privacy of the homeowner, there are gigantic brick walls in front of the home, allowing only a peek at the structure. And for all I know, those walls were there when Hopper painted the house. He would change the local scenery, add railroad tracks, change dimensions, etc., and you would think he was painting exactly what he saw.
As we walked around, and later drove through, I snapped some of these other buildings.
Ugh. I caught the wires, and the fire hydrant, and the street sign!![]()
I totally missed the top of this building. This was a drive-by.![]()
We had such a nice day that we hope to return in the fall when the weather is cooler to more fully walk the streets, and explore a bit of the water side of the town.
It looks like you had a lovely time here--congrats on the upcoming wedding. And by the way, I have discovered that although change may not always be good, it IS CONSTANT. In fact I think there is an old saying that goes something like "the only constant is change" - and perhaps the only way we really cope with that truth is to stay in denial? (Or maybe that is just me)
ReplyDeletethanks for your kind comments - hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!
Faye
Thank you for this tour! My aunt lived in Spring Valley and funny enough, my uncle was an artist. Maybe its the area. I used to love being up in this area of New York.
ReplyDeleteThis post really excited me - I have always loved Edward Hopper! Saw a fantastic exhibit of his work at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts not too long ago. So wonderful to see his roots and such great photos of homes in the area. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete