Henry Strator Paintings Show Hopper Influence

Two delightful Henry Strator works are being deaccessioned by the ING Group's collection at the Atlanta Office at auction on December 7. Strator achieved considerable fame for his Time Magazine cover portrait of Ernest Hemingway who was a personal friend. Earlier we had written a post focused on the artist and that portrait.  

Strator was a prolific artist, and we frequently see his work coming up for auction. The pieces include full paintings and have extended down to include ephemera such as decorated Christmas cards and painted envelopes. But this post concentrates on two fine paintings from 1964, one of which brings to mind the work of Edward Hopper. 

Morning Inspection-   Henry Strator 1964

Morning Inspection brings to mind the work of Hopper for several reasons. The similarity begins with the basic layout of an angular seaside building with the planar surfaces neatly laid out. Even more striking is the color palate, which includes pink and yellow under direct sunlight as well as shadow. To see Hopper's use of yellow you can visit our post explaining the true meaning of Nighthawks. Strator's treatment of the sea in which he incorporates green into the blue water is typical of his own work, but also has similarities with Hopper's technique. Morning Inspection also includes a solitary figure like so many of Hopper's paintings. Below we have included Hopper's iconic morning sun painting from 1954. 

Morning Sun  Edward Hopper 1954

The second work is a classic marine scene painted in York Maine near Strator's home in Ogunquit. It captures a placid harbor on an autumn day with fluffy clouds in the sky. It is a creditable work that Strator executed well. He seemed to be focus on delivering quality in this painting as it has a tighter technique than many of his other works. 

Incoming Tide York   Henry Strator 1964