Unfamiliar Situations In Cities

Edward Hopper,an American painter,devoted all his life to capturing the spiritual outlook of people in modern urban life,to understanding and describing the living conditions of the common people in the city.With an unusual sensitivity and ironic alienation,he reflected the state of individual society under the change of American economy.Australian painter Jeffrey Smart,whose paintings are fascinating with keen observation and charming pictures,depicts alienated urban street scenes.Isolated individuals are lost in the industrial ruins.The pictures not only have a balanced aesthetic sense,but also convey strange and absurd harmony,which seems disturbing.The purpose of this article is to make a brief summary of Hopper and Smart’s artistic life from the point of "unfamiliar situation" in the city,and to elaborate their painting language from the construction of theme,space and geometric composition,to analyze the "unfamiliar situation" in the city as an artist’s expressive sense and artistic means,and to explore the deep meaning behind the works.The painting style presented by the author is compared as a whole.By combing Hopper’s and Smart’s works in different stages,the author has a deeper understanding of their paintings,triggering a real resonance in the author’s heart.At the same time,based on this,the author’s creative practice is linked to interpret the author’s painting experience and artistic appeal in urban life.