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Edward Hopper's paintings are brought to life by film director Gustav Deutsch

In his film Shirley: Visions of Reality, Austrian filmmaker, architect and experimental artist Gustav Deutsch recreates 13 of Edward Hopper’s paintings, bringing them to life by telling the story of a woman whose thoughts, emotions and contemplations give us a glimpse of a fascinating era in American history.

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Charting three decades from the 1930s, the character – played by a red-haired actress – is someone who would like to influence the course of history with her professional and socio-political involvement.

A woman who does not accept the reality of the Depression years, WWII, the McCarthy era, race conflicts and civil rights campaigns as given but rather as generated and adjustable. A woman who cannot identify with the traditional role model of a wife yet longs to have a life partner.

Gustav explains: "Here we have three decades, which have seen great upheavals at all levels – political, social and cultural – that have changed the country and its people forever... Shirley experiences and reflects all this as a committed and emancipated actress with left-leaning politics. She enjoys jazz, listening to the radio and going out and loves film. She is a woman with strong opinions and both feet on the ground, even during times of personal or professional crisis."

It's a strikingly unique cinematic recreation of classic Hopper paintings – think Night Windows (1938), Office at Night (1940), Room in New York (1932), New York Movie (1939) and Intermission (1963) – all with their influences of film noir and choice of lighting, subject and framing. If you've not yet discovered Gustav's work, this particular project is a must-see.

All images courtesy of Gustav Deutsch

All images courtesy of Gustav Deutsch

A woman in a blue dress holds papers while standing in a 1940s office with wooden filing cabinets, as another woman sits at a burgundy desk in Gustav Deutsch's recreation of an Edward Hopper painting for the film Shirley: Visions of Reality
A man in a vest and woman in red sit reading in a yellow room with a wooden door and framed artwork on the walls, recreating an Edward Hopper painting
A red-haired woman in a white shirt and blue tie sits in an orange chair while another woman in red embraces her from behind in a yellow-walled room
Woman in dark dress standing at a window in a mustard-yellow room, gazing out at greenery, recreating an Edward Hopper painting
Woman in burgundy sleeveless top looking over her shoulder against coloured geometric wall panels in a scene from Gustav Deutsch's film Shirley: Visions of Reality
Passengers sit in green seats aboard a train carriage flooded with sunlight from large windows in a scene from Gustav Deutsch's film Shirley: Visions of Reality
Someone's hands operate a vintage typewriter with a yellow paper inserted, seated on a green chair against a muted green background
Woman in peach slip lying on a dark bed reading a book in a minimalist room with grey walls
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