Edward and Jo Hopper lived an extremely frugal life, with just a hot plate to cook on and their living room used as an art studio. Hopper had a reputation for being gruff and unfriendly, while Jo loved to have drinks and chats with friends.
Video Features
Clip | Edward Hopper’s career soared as wife Jo Nivison’s faltered
Clip | Edward Hopper’s simple lifestyle with wife Jo
Clip | Edward Hopper’s work showed a narrow view of New York
Clip | A closer look at Edward Hopper’s “Automat” and “Chop Suey”
Clip | Edward Hopper’s childhood in Nyack, New York
Clip | Rare interview footage of Edward Hopper on his process
Written Features
TRANSCRIPT
- The studio where Edward Hopper painted was actually in the living room of the actual house.
In the drawings, for example, this is a drawing by Jo Hopper of the potbelly stove that they had inside with a tea kettle on the top.
They did not have an actual oven or stove in the house.
They had a little hot plate.
She didn't cook.
She didn't like to cook.
If you ran into them in the street, you would probably think that they were at the poverty level.
Their house was very simple and plain.
They lived unbelievably frugally.
I don't think he was a very nice person, especially to his wife.
I don't think he was very nice to people in general.
- I was a house guest here of Nana and Grandpa Marshall.
When I realized that Mr. Hopper was in the room, that he was one of the guests, I immediately went up to him and introduced myself and told him that I had just finished studying about him in a humanities class that I took at school.
And I was just so thrilled to meet him.
And his response was so gruff and cut me off in such a way that I just decided that perhaps I'd overstepped my bounds.
- They'd stop by the house, especially around cocktail time.
They'd just kind of show up.
(laughs) And Josephine would knock on the door and say, "Marie, is it all right if we come in?"
And they'd come in, and he never said anything.
I mean, he would talk once in a while, but not very often.
And he just let her do her thing and he would, you know, come into the house, sit, have his drink.
(slow music) Jo, you couldn't shut her up.
