| Edward Hopper(1882-1967),an important American realist painter of the first half of the 20 th century,is known as the "most American painter".Because most of his mature works were urban,often depicting a corner of an American street or an interior,he used his unique artistic style to record the mundane scenes of 20 th century American society and the loneliness that belonged to that era.His unique contrast of light and shadow and the depressing atmosphere of his images constitute his distinctive personal style.Through the study and reading of his paintings,this paper analyzes and elaborates on the characteristics of light and shadow,taking light and shadow as the starting point,from the diversity of light sources chosen,the geometric division of light and shadow,and the subjective use of color.Second,the use of light and shadow in Hopper’s works is discussed from three aspects: the graphic composition of light and shadow,the color composition and the narrative sense created by the layout of light and shadow.By studying the characteristics of Hopper’s light and shadow and the symbolic meaning expressed by the use of light and shadow in the picture,this paper gets ideas and inspirations from them,which can guide my painting practice.Through the series of "Café",the viewer is provoked to think about some social phenomena and certain emotions or states of mind that may be experienced at different stages of life. |
