Hopper

Edward Hopper's wife wouldn't allow him to draw nudes other than her. The fact that she appears in all of his sketches took on a whole new meaning when I learned that. He drew her because she insisted on it. Now I think she looks angry in the drawings, with her boxy head and square jaw and stocky build. When my sister and I were kids our mother decided she would teach us how to draw the figure. She posed for us in her studio over the garage and directed us to pay attention to the angle of her hips and shoulders and to notice their opposing directions. I was exasperated and uncomfortable being required to draw her. But at least she was clothed.