Derelict Home

From the first time I learned of it to when I finally saw it in person on view at The Art Institute of Chicago (and even to this day)  Edward Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks’ remains one of my favorite paintings. Nocturnes have their own unique allure and Natalie Pivoney’s “Derelict Home” is no exception. It captures a similar sense of isolation, disillusionment, and quiet melancholy in a distinctly American setting. An artist’s superpower is their ability to see what the rest of us often overlook, often finding hidden beauty, meaning, or a new perspective of an everyday object or scene. Whereas we might barely notice this nondescript and desolate home, Pivoney asks us to pause and reconsider what’s in front of our eyes. She highlights the dramatic, angular shadows cast by a nearby streetlight and angles the our view of the house in such a way that it feels a bit imposing (matching her description of it as spooky). These considered details add the same emotionally charged narrative element Hopper was known for. We are then left to wonder - What happened here? Who lived here? Where have they gone and why? And therein lies the other great superpower of an artist - to encourage us to imagine, dream, and think beyond the ordinary, even if we may have to face what makes us uncomfortable.

Fantastic. Nice work