Gallery "The figure and its realities" Wall text @ the Whitney
"In art, “realism” in its broadest sense means a believable depiction of the world. It can also refer to the portrayal of the unidealized—real people and everyday life. American artists who worked in a realist, or more broadly, a representational mode often explored the nation and its inherent cultural, social, and economic realities.
While those artists working in a figurative tradition might seem less avant-garde than those working with abstraction, their interest in “low” or ordinary subject matter and rejection of conventional beauty was progressive in its own right. Their engagement with the idea of “the real” did not always lead to a faithful transcription of reality. This is especially true in Edward Hopper’s work, which is often closer to surrealism than common experience. Like a number of American artists, Hopper created subtle shifts in observable reality for expressive ends even as he kept his eye grounded in what he saw everyday."
While those artists working in a figurative tradition might seem less avant-garde than those working with abstraction, their interest in “low” or ordinary subject matter and rejection of conventional beauty was progressive in its own right. Their engagement with the idea of “the real” did not always lead to a faithful transcription of reality. This is especially true in Edward Hopper’s work, which is often closer to surrealism than common experience. Like a number of American artists, Hopper created subtle shifts in observable reality for expressive ends even as he kept his eye grounded in what he saw everyday."
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