Fort Worth, TX, August 23, 2005—On September 13, 2005, the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth presents Edward Hopper in Four Acts, a small exhibition that offers a rare opportunity to see together five works in four media by one of America ’s great artists. The installation will present the Carter’s recent acquisition Home by the Railroad (charcoal on paper, ca. 1925-28), in addition to two prints, one painting, and one watercolor. Admission to the exhibition is free.

Known for his paintings of empty streets, storefronts, and solitary figures in urban settings, Edward Hopper (1882–1967) was also an accomplished draftsman, printmaker, and watercolorist. This installation focuses on the motif of American vernacular architecture, one of his other great subjects. In addition to the Carter’s Home by the Railroad, the exhibition features two prints from the museum’s permanent collection, American Landscape (1920) and The Lonely House (1923), as well as loans from private collections: House by an Inlet (oil on canvas, 1930) and Roofs of the Cobb Barn (watercolor on paper, 1931). All of these works demonstrate Hopper’s mastery of capturing light in four different media.

“We are delighted to present this intensely focused look at Hopper’s art,” said Rebecca Lawton, the Carter’s curator of paintings and sculpture. “By comparing his work across media, we can clearly see that certain compositional strategies intrigued the artist. His careful control of medium, skillful interplay of light and shadow, and unusual angles of vision are brilliantly evident in these works.”

Hopper created his drawings and almost all of his watercolors from direct observation. His oil paintings, however, were composed pictures, developed by imaginative reconstruction in which both observation and memory played a part. The houses and architecture depicted in Hopper’s works provided the structural element Hopper needed to experiment with light. Hopper himself once said: “You know, there are many thoughts, many impulses that go into a picture—not just one. Light is an important expressive force for me, but not too consciously so. I think it is a natural expression for me.”

Edward Hopper in Four Acts is on view at the Carter through December 11.