Acrylic on gessoed aluminum panel (mounted), 12 x 10''
painting #272, 2019
During the late 1980's, artist Gottfried Helnwein re-invented the famous Edward Hopper painting NIghthawks, by replacing the figures in the painting with Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis Presley and Humphrey Bogart. I remember quite vividly that it became widely popular and was displayed in every print shops, and in many restaurants and night clubs. Helnwein's Boulevard of Broken Dreams would also inspire the Green Day song of the same name. Nightwawks is probably the first Hopper painting that I became aware of.
The conception for this painting just happened by happenstance. The background for the painting featuring my rendition of "Gas" was printed on a small box that once held 20 note cards w/ envelopes. The box is dated 2000 on the back. I remember buying it at the turn of the new millennium. It was a derivative product made for the Museum of Modern Art that was probably sold in their museum store. All the cards are now long gone but I couldn't part with the box. It now stores some rubber stamps. Earlier this year, I took out the box from a drawer to use a rubber ink stamp to embellish a birthday card. The small Matchbox - 1957 GMC side-step pick-up die-cast was already on my desk. When I saw them side by side.....the whole narrative came to me. The composition is resting on an Edward Hopper art book that was gifted to me by my wife, 20 years ago. A detailed image of "Gas" appears on the glossy cover of the book entitled "Edward Hopper, A Modern Master", written by Ita G. Berkow and published by Todtri in 1996.
The conception for this painting just happened by happenstance. The background for the painting featuring my rendition of "Gas" was printed on a small box that once held 20 note cards w/ envelopes. The box is dated 2000 on the back. I remember buying it at the turn of the new millennium. It was a derivative product made for the Museum of Modern Art that was probably sold in their museum store. All the cards are now long gone but I couldn't part with the box. It now stores some rubber stamps. Earlier this year, I took out the box from a drawer to use a rubber ink stamp to embellish a birthday card. The small Matchbox - 1957 GMC side-step pick-up die-cast was already on my desk. When I saw them side by side.....the whole narrative came to me. The composition is resting on an Edward Hopper art book that was gifted to me by my wife, 20 years ago. A detailed image of "Gas" appears on the glossy cover of the book entitled "Edward Hopper, A Modern Master", written by Ita G. Berkow and published by Todtri in 1996.
unedited photo study
I've been an admirer of the artwork of Edward Hopper since my early adulthood and have had the opportunity to view many of his paintings up-close in various museums in Europe but especially in the United States.
To acquire this painting, please contact:
Galerie de Bellefeuille
1367 avenue Greene,
Montreal, Quebec H3Z 2A8
Tel: 514.933.4406
e-mail- art@debellefeuille.com
