Artist Emulation: Intentions

    For my final project, I will be painting a scene of a lighthouse next to an ocean. My plan is for the lighthouse to be on one side of the painting, partially obstructing the ocean. It will be pretty close up, and will block about a third/half of the image. I am using a lighthouse as the subject because Edward Hopper painted several scenes including lighthouses, and because I think that it will do a good job of conveying the theme that I am trying to communicate. This theme is one that Hopper also sometimes focused on in his works--the idea of humanity encroaching on nature, and nature being pushed out of the way in order to accommodate it. By placing the lighthouse so that it obstructs part of the ocean, I am aiming to convey a sense of manmade objects blocking nature.
    In my final work, I will try to use mostly relatively short, light brush strokes in order to create a thin layer of paint, which I can continue to add to until I've reached the color and shape that I want. This is the same sort of technique that Hopper used in his works, so I hope to create a final piece in his same style. I will also pay attention to light in my painting, and how it would be shown in actuality--I will try to include the proper shadows that the lighthouse would cast, and portray the light hitting its surface realistically.
    In this project, I began by observing images of lighthouses and Edward Hopper's art in order to get a sense of how I could combine them in my final work. I then envisioned my final project by sketching my ideas in my sketchbook, and laying out my general sense of space and organization. Additionally, by studying Edward Hopper extensively for this project, I have broadened my understanding of the art world, and deepened my knowledge of the artist and his work.

Artist Emulation: Edward Hopper

A lot of Edward Hopper's work involves using both naturalistic and industrial objects as the subject matters of his paintings. For his industrial objects, he usually tended to use objects or scenes that were known to represent modernity in his lifetime--such as movie theaters, lighthouses, cafés, gas stations, and street corners. He also incorporated naturalistic components into his work alongside the modern components, which to many were interpreted as a way of communicating the ways that society was imposing itself upon the natural world. In this way, Hopper was able to convey deeper themes and messages in his work, giving it a more personal feel and giving Hopper a more meaningful objective as an artist. According to my research on Hopper, I learned that he often created sketches and outlines of his drawings before starting on his final (painted) work. These sketches were usually done using a pen, pencil, or ink, and conveyed a rough sense of what the final project would include and how it would be laid out. He did this as a practice routine in order to prepare for creating the final work.