Inspirations between photographers and artists

Edward Hopper & Gregory Crewdson

There is an extraordinary sense of light in Edward Hopper’s paintings. On the surface they appear to be realistic, but there is something particular about his light that, to me, makes his paintings feel more psychologically-based. They are very ordinary situations such as a people sat in a bar or a woman sat in a coffee shop, like the painting to the left, in which the light is being used as a narrative to reveal the story behind it. It also provides a possibility of a transformation of the ordinary everyday life into the tense situations, which gives the images a sense theatricality.

The idea of theatricality is prominent in American creative culture. I think it has something to do with the nation’s fixation on finesse. There is a mix between these tactics and everyday life. In terms of art, this notion of the 'unusual' is shown in the realism of the paintings. Edward Hopper does not covey a conventional realism, but a psychological one.
There are many similarities between that of Edward Hopper's work and that of Gregory Crewdson's in the way of lighting, subjects and tenseness of situations shown within.

Gregory Crewdson's photographs usually take place in small town America, but are dramatic and cinematic. They often feature disturbing and surreal events. The photographs are shot using a large crew, and are elaborately staged and lit. He has stated that Edward Hopper has been a hugely significant inspiration to his work, as well as many others, and the set-ups behind them.

"I’m sitting in a hotel room in Massachusetts thinking about the past three days I have spent driving around looking for a location that feels like it is nondescript, but is very particular. In other words, I have been searching for a sense of the American landscape that is linked intrinsically to Edward Hopper’s vision.

Hopper has been a huge influence on me. His work is grounded in an American sensibility that deals with ideas of beauty, theatricality, sadness, rootlessness and desire. It is now virtually impossible to read America visually without referring back to the archive of photography and cinema that has come from Hopper’s paintings. His art has shaped certain essential themes and interests in so many contemporary painters, writers and, above all, photographers and film-makers."