Description

Edward Hopper’s experiential approach to an urban nighttime scene stands in contrast to the straightforward anecdotes found in works by his Ashcan School predecessors. Like the setting of a detective film, a city street corner in this image is seen from above, as if from an elevated train platform. An unseen streetlight in the lower left corner casts a long diagonal shadow that ends in a doorway, while a single figure strides under the light of the lamp. Hopper involves the viewer on a sensory level, inviting recall of the sound of hollow footsteps on an empty street.