Hopper, LeGuin, Burroughs... by Chipka
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Description
1: Hopper
Though Edward Hopper worked in multiple genres and media, he is best known for his depictions of the common elements of American life: urban and domestic scenes featuring gas stations, restaurants, motels, street scenes, and theaters (among other things.) Perhaps his most renowned depiction of human life (and human isolation) is contained within the painting, “Nighthawks.” It comes as no surprise, then, that this admittedly-powerful work is also recognized as the inspiration for Ernest Hemingway’s short story, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” Hemingway’s story and its visual inspiration/creative-coconspirator-painting highlight the contrasts between light and darkness, color and darkness, vast emptiness and intimate (filled) space. Strangely enough, it’s likely that Hopper’s painting (and its title) may have come from Hemingway’s story “The Killers” and—indeed—Hopper is known to have stated that “Nighthawks” has more to do with predators in the night than with loneliness. I don’t think it matters whether Hopper was inspired by Hemingway or if Hemingway was, as is also stated, inspired by Hopper; I think they were coincidental collaborators, and so they’re linked—in my mind, at least—as two halves of a circle.
2: LeGuin
It’s no secret that Ursula K. LeGuin is among my all-time favorite authors. Though recognized inside of the genre of Science Fiction, she is equally recognized outside of the genre as well. Her Earthsea Cycle stands as a high-water mark of fantasy, and she’s equally respected in the fields of poetry, young adult fiction, historical fiction.
Like Hopper, LeGuin has a profound eye for the “small” things in life: the everyday elements of living. In her fantasy novels, wizards are known more for mending pots and keeping the bones of the earth from rubbing against each other than for “epic” things…though a few of them do happen to converse with dragons. For LeGuin, the epic and the “mundane” are intimately linked and in her descriptions of small things, the human element reaches epic (and profoundly touching) proportions. Small people create big things and big things are unalterably linked with pot-menders, normal people, and the occasional dissident. Though much of her fiction avoids overt “urbanality,” one may find distinct connections between urban life and life as depicted in the realm of LeGuin. The focus, you see, is human…and what’s an urban center without people making it urban. It’s all there…lots of normal, non-epic people, doing non-epic things and thus, creating—as a side effect—something as larger-than-life as a city.
3: Burroughs
William S. Burroughs is recognized in a number of vastly different circles—especially for his cut-up novel, Naked Lunch, and the subsequent, cut-ups, The Soft Machine, The Ticket that Exploded, and Nova Express. Though largely non-linear “collage” works, they seem to bear quite a lot in common with Burroughs’ more traditionally written, semi-autobiographical (rather explicit) novel, Junky.
On quiet nights in down town Chicago, or neighborhoods near the downtown area, I find myself walking through streets not so different from those you’d find in Burroughs novels, or hinted at in the works of LeGuin. There are times when parts of the city resemble a Hopper-created canvas.
I stepped into a near-Hopper scene two nights ago. I thought of LeGuin as I did so, and wondered at what small stories there were to tell, and I wondered just how much Burroughs-type grit and grime existed there: the streets were empty, but I felt small, accidentally-epic hustlers…somewhere. Maybe just beyond camera range.
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As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all on the verge of a happy, healthy, fulfilling, and fun new year.
Comments (20)
Faemike55
Great capture and interesting discourse. thank you for the food-for-thought and I wish you and yours a Happy New Year
netot
What a fantastic mood. really great capture. I wish you a great 2013.And many thanks four your writings.
auntietk
Wow. Mood plus!! You kicked my brain into gear in a big way with this shot! My mind went more to the hard-boiled detective. The city was a lonely place that night, and as I walked along the sidewalk the hard heels of my shoes beat out a cadence on the damp pavement, amplified and reflected back through the fog, causing me to stop periodically to make sure I wasn't being followed. The trains had stopped running an hour ago, and the occasional swish of tires on wet pavement was a cymbal brush augmenting the perucssion of my footsteps. Most of the storefronts were dark, but now and again I would pass a well-lighted coffee shop, the inhabitants becoming real and receding away again like memories from another time. Approaching one such place, the man sitting in the window caught my eye. At first I didn't recognise him. He had shaved off his moustache and cut his hair, but the tilt of his head as he read from something on the table gave him away.
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God Bless.
durleybeachbum
Wonderful. The photo is superb, the ramblings perfect to expand the image, and for once I actually am acquainted with all the folk to whom you refer! Have a healthy and über-creative 2013, Chip!
brewgirlca
I almost thought I was transported to an alternatie universe because this picture looks so much like some I shot in the backstreets of London and I had a moment of what the hey is going on here? How did Chip get that shot? .... lovely my friend... I do enjoy how often our work on citiscapes seems intertwangled ... if I may to so presumptious. I love the way the white balance has worked here... how the multiplicity of lights has "buggered" it for a purist and yet for you and me it works magically. The faint mist makes the light glow in a totally wierd mixture of electric and natural. Also, who can ignore that great peep shot of the guy in the coffee shot. That was a great bit of inspirational shooting.
blinkings
I love the misty feel to this. Happy new year to you my friend.
Thetis
fantastic capture! love the clair-obscure light situation and the overall feeling of classical art. love Hopper and would like to add Van Gogh, his Night Cafe Terasse scene came to my mind, when I saw the thumb. Have a great New Year!
helanker
Awesome shot with alot of atmosphere. And the little narratives are amazing to me. I think, no matter what someone would place in front of you, you could spin a good story about it. Wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year :)
flavia49
wonderful Happy New Year!
MrsRatbag
You nailed the feelings here, Chip; Hopper, but grittier. LeGuin, but more well-lighted. Burroughs draped over all of it... nicely done!
NefariousDrO
I love the red glow that seems to fill everything, making the textures seem more gritty, while also adding a dream-like or ethereal mood. That those two feelings are essentially polar opposites seems totally fitting, given your ruminations on the artists this scene brought to your mind. Great photo!
Ilona-Krijgsman
wonderful warm glow in this image..a picture with a story...well taken so as always
beachzz
What I like about this is the guy in the cafe, totally unaware of his role in this wonderful shot. Night in the city; a different kind of place.
dragonmuse
This awakens long distant memories of Christmas spent alone in a city far from home. Very nicely done.
sandra46
VERY BEAUTIFUL! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
RodS
A great shot, Chip! You are a master of the night, my friend - photography wise I mean! LOL! Hope you have a great 2013, my friend - I'm looking forward to another year of your wonderful photography!
KatesFriend
I have to admit, I was taken by the rather Christmas-like feel this shot conveyed to me. These thoughts are of coarse derived from the glowing balls of coloured light scattered across the scene. I'm a sucker for this. But how marvelous that a street or place that would be otherwise gritty and dark (and perhaps harbour the darker spirits of the human condition) can with just a turn of perspective touch someone at a spiritual level. Beauty within the mundane.
wysiwig
nighthawks at the diner of Emma's 49er, there's a rendezvous of strangers around the coffee urn tonight all the gypsy hacks, the insomniacs now the paper's been read now the waitress said eggs and sausage and a side of toast coffee and a roll, hash browns over easy chili in a bowl with burgers and fries what kind of pie? ~Tom Waits, Nighthawks at the Diner Your image made me think of Tom Waits whose songs are the musical equivalent of this picture. Superb composition. I love the fellow seen through the window. I hope you have a happy and creative year. Thanks for all the art and memories, Chip.
NightGallery
I love gritty night scenes. This one is perfect for that! Wonderful selection for us.