The Art of the Art History Documentary; Gallery's 'Hopper' to Air on PBS

Byline: Ann Geracimos, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Opening shot: the interior of a cafe at night. Catchy jazz rhythms play in the background behind a montage of paintings by Edward Hopper. "Everybody thought he was the greatest. He was a god," narrator Steve Martin intones in his familiar flat pitch. "He invented or developed a lot of ways of picturing the American experience, which becomes a metaphor for bigger experience."

Thus begins "Edward Hopper," the latest "hit" film presentation of the National Gallery of Art - having its local debut Thursday on WETA-TV Channel 26, 10 days ahead of the museum's opening of the latest retrospective of works by the iconic American artist.

If smooth upbeat music typical of the 1940s seems to undercut the somber scenes portrayed in the paintings, that is the deliberate choice of producer-director Carroll Moore, setting a mood and marking the key period of 1925 to 1950 represented in the show.

The contrast hints at the depths of a painter who offers as much pleasure as mystery. It's the hand of experience juggling the many tricky elements involved in attracting viewers and holding their attention for 30 minutes of talking heads and illustrated …

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Publication information: Article title: The Art of the Art History Documentary; Gallery's 'Hopper' to Air on PBS. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Washington Times (Washington, DC). Publication date: September 1, 2007. Page number: B03. © 2009 The Washington Times LLC. COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group.

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