Edward Hopper

Library Journal

Many Hopper paintings are familiar icons of America, but the literature on this self-contained painter is slim. Nor does Hobbs's book add significantly. Excluding technique, artistic context, and intellectual environment, Hobbs concentrates on content and its interpretation. He sees Hopper's work as a response to largely economic stressthe isolation of people in a world of cars, trains, motels, and their loss of a sense of belonging. Some interpretations are intriguing, some strained, and the term alienation is overworked. Lots of illustrations; some in color seem overly bright. For large collections. Margot Karp, Pratt Inst. Lib., Brooklyn, N.Y.