Anthony J. Marolda
Writings
Edward Hopper had a theme through many of his paintings done in the 1920's and 30's. He focused on people who were alone, usually deep in thought in ordinary places like a hotel room, an office or a store. I've done a few examples of that type of painting. To the right is a gentleman sitting on a railroad platform "Waiting for the Limited". It's based on Roy Hobbs of the 1984 film, "The Natural", waiting to go to New York for his big tryout with the New York Knights. In fact, the railroad station where he is waiting is modeled after the Littleton, Massachusetts station that I used as the background of the previous painting.
Hopper spent much of his career in New York and painted a series of iconic cityscapes. Above is an original oil painting I did with Hopper's later style in mind. In the 1940's, a man leaves his Boston Back Bay apartment on a chilly night to walk to a store and buy a package of cigarettes. In the window is the face of a small dog. The pup is upset that his master has left the house without him. The dog watches anxiously hoping his owner will relent and return to take him along.