T IMELINE : Pre-War American Painting . Hopper, Edward (1882-1967). American painter, active mainly in New York. ... Thereafter, however, he gained widespread recognition as a central exponent of American Scene painting, expressing the loneliness, vacuity, and stagnation of town life. Yet Hopper remained always an individualist: `I don't think I ever tried to paint the American scene; I'm trying to paint myself.' ... 1942 (120 Kb); Oil on canvas, 30 x 60 in; The Art Institute of Chicago . ...