A moving masterpiece

A new exhibition taking place at the Shanghai Museum titled Pathways to Modernism — American Art, 1865-1945 tells many stories, from those about freed slaves joining the Civil War, to the women's rights movement and the evolution of modern art in the US, but it is Edward Hopper's painting titled Nighthawks that resonates with audiences in Shanghai the most.

The painting is among the 80 artworks featured at the exhibition that is ongoing until Jan 6, 2019. All the exhibits were picked from the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Terra Foundation for American Art, which is also located in Chicago, Illinois.

Nighthawks was found to be the artwork people were most excited to see, according to a joint survey held before the exhibition by the Shanghai Museum and the art institute. The piece topped the ballot comprising 12 artworks, earning 41 percent of the votes.

Initial public interest reflected how anticipated Nighthawks was. When the exhibition opened on Sept 28, large crowds flocked to the museum, causing waiting time to swell to an hour. Many of those in the queue were there to see this artwork.

One of those waiting in the queue was a young office worker named Zhou Qian. She said that Nighthawks "touched a tender part of my heart" as it reminded her of the lonely meals she sometimes had at the convenience store located at a street corner.

Hopper is arguably the most prominent realistic US artist, and is widely recognized for his sensitive portrayal of modern US life. This is the first time Nighthawks is shown in Asia, said Sarah Guernsey, deputy director for curatorial affairs at the Art Institute of Chicago.

"It has never been this far away from home. While our visitors will be so sad to not have it on show in Chicago, we are so glad it could be here in Shanghai. It is our most important American painting and one that we will miss dearly for three months," said Guernsey.

She added that the exhibition will only take place in Shanghai and no other Chinese cities.

Created in 1942, the painting depicts a typical diner in lower Manhattan of New York during a time of war — the streets are dark due to a curfew that was imposed following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The diner, however, is brightly lit. But upon closer inspection, viewers would realize that there are barely details in the space, such as food and menus, that suggest this place is actually a diner.

"By stripping away everything unnecessary, he focuses your attention on just the people inside. We don't know who they are. It is an ambiguous narrative," said Sarah Kelly Oehler, the curator of the exhibition who is from the Art Institute of Chicago.

"That's what makes it so special as a painting. It forces you to think about your own experience. Many of us have lived in a big city and felt all alone. He reminds you of that feeling."

One of the most important paintings by a US artist, and one of the most iconic pieces in world art history, Nighthawks has inspired a slew of parodies and imitations in films, cartoons and literature. Some of these works have even been included in the collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. Oehler said she was happy to discover that the painting once even appeared in a music video featuring Chinese singer Jane Zhang.

"Because Hopper leaves us wanting more, parody becomes possible. You can make something different of it because he wanted it to be ambiguous," said Oehler.

"Some paintings, like the Mona Lisa, became famous this way. Parodies and imitations perpetuate the fame and that's a good thing, because art can continue to inspire over and over again."

Aside from Nighthawks, the exhibits also include paintings by important artists such as Archibald Motley Jr, Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock and James McNeill Whistler.

"The exhibition explores the real sense of a young country developing into a nation we know of today," said Guernsey.

"It provides a deeper understanding of the American people and a way of understanding the culture of the US."

The exhibition in Shanghai marks the first time the Art Institute of Chicago and the Terra Foundation for American Art are working together to present an exhibition overseas. For this maiden collaboration in China, the two institutions chose works that they felt tell the story of the development of a modern American nation, said Guernsey.

"The exhibition explores how American art became modern through its engagement with political, economic and cultural developments that transformed the nature of daily life, as well as modes of art making, during a tumultuous period in US history," said Elizabeth Glassman, president and CEO of Terra Foundation for American Art.

Established in 1978 by Daniel J. Terra, the Terra Foundation for American Art is recognized for its exceptional collection of US art from the colonial period to 1970. The foundation had previously participated in the exhibition Art in America: 300 Years of Innovation held by the Shanghai Museum in 2007, said Yang Zhigang, director of the Shanghai Museum.

Pathways to Modernism — American Art, 1865-1945 is in some sense the continuation of the 2007 exhibition, Yang said.

Founded in 1879, the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the largest encyclopedic museums in the US, and its massive collection of 300,000 artifacts include relics from China. Earlier this year, the Art Institute of Chicago presented an exhibition Mirroring China's Past: Emperors and Their Bronzes which showcased 180 objects, including important pieces loaned from the Palace Museum of Beijing and the Shanghai Museum.

Contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn