JOHN REGISTER (1936-1996) Hopper Donuts signed 'Register' (lower right) oil on canvas 26 1/8 x 36 in (66.3 x 91.5 cm) Painted in circa 1975 Footnotes: Provenance Collection of the artist. Thence by descent to the present owner. 'With Hopper you witness someone else's isolation; in my pictures, I think you, the viewer, become the isolated one.' - John Register A discerning observer and emotionally perceptive artist, John Register sublimely articulates the complexity of the human condition. Rendering the beauty and pain of isolation, Register masterfully breaks the fourth wall and draws viewers into his anonymous narratives. By positioning the viewer as his unseen subject, Register articulates the dualities of loneliness; a feeling that is both deeply personal and equally universal. Paying homage to Edward Hopper (a 'near deity' to Register, as he noted in a 1996 letter to his mother), Register's works often take the position of a modern flaneur through a distinctly American and psychologically charged perspective. This is particularly evident in Hopper Donuts which juxtaposes the glowing interior and dusky exterior to illuminate the viewer's isolated position, imbuing the painting with a sense of watchful loneliness. It carries a voyeuristic sensibility as narrative questions surrounding the occupier's absence arise while providing the viewer with the opportunity to construct many stories and possible meanings. Born into a socially prominent family in New York, John Register had a successful career as an advertising executive before quitting his job to pursue painting full time. Despite the later start in his artistic career, Register was already showing at the David Stuart Gallery in Los Angeles by the mid-1970s. At 18 Register was diagnosed with a serious kidney disease and at 41 experienced kidney failure. An organ transplant with a kidney donated by his sister saved his life and was followed by a second transplant. For the remainder of his adult life, the artist would live with a constant memento mori, which may have contributed to the introspective and psychological nature of his thoughtful paintings. Register's approach to realism meets the viewer through a legible visual language that extends beyond the mundane into a complex world that is brought to life by the the dream-like scene at hand and the emotional response of the viewer. In Hopper Donuts the street corner is empty, and the light in the cafe presents a distinct divide between the dark exterior where the viewer is positioned looking in. The scene is set at dusk where the cityscape, the streetlights, and the contours of the sidewalks are unified in a fuzzy blue haze that contrasts with the warmth of the interior. While this cafe may be a specific place, it also is anonymous and therefore the cafe of the everyman resulting in a sensation of déjà vu; this is a place the viewer already knows. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing