Description:

Edward Hopper (American, 1882-1967), "Temptation of St. Anthony", c. 1900-10, conte crayon on paper, signed lower right, titled lower center, "Frank K.M. Rehn, New York", "Jan Krugier Gallery, New York" and "DC Moore Gallery, New York" labels with artist, title and date en verso, 12 1/4 in. x 9 in., framed; accompanied by a copy of DC Moore 2000 invoice. Provenance: Frank K.M. Rehn, Inc., New York; Jan Krugier Gallery, New York; DC Moore Gallery, New York. Note: Edward Hopper was an enthusiastic reader from an early age; his father kept a large library including the most popular English classics and translations of French and Russian literature. Hopper eventually began to create illustrations based on the novels that most affected him. By finding meaning in these books, “Hopper came to define his art as a constant struggle to master the pictorial in order to record inner truth,” according to author Gail Levin. Knowing of Hopper’s avid reading and interest in French literature, it would not be unlikely that he had read a translation of Gustave Flaubert’s The Temptation of St. Anthony. In the chapter “The Martyrs,” Flaubert writes that St. Anthony “witnesses the meetings of Christian women at the sepulchres. He beholds the touching ceremonies of prayer, change into orgies,–lamentations give place to amorous dalliance.” While we cannot know if Hopper intended this depiction to be a literal illustration from Flaubert’s lifelong work, it is highly likely that Hopper would have been familiar with the book, and the drawing offered here certainly has distinct parallels to Flaubert’s description of that memorable scene. Ref: Flaubert, Gustave and Lafcadio Heart, trans. The Temptation of St. Anthony. New York: Alice Harriman Company, 1910. Levin, Gail. Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography. New York: Rizzoli Publishing, 2007.

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