Church of San Esteban 1946

Edward Hopper made this painting of the Church of San Esteban at an unknown date, using what appears to be oil on canvas. The whole thing is rendered in moody blacks, whites, and grays – like a noir film still! The way Hopper handles the paint is interesting. There's a flatness to it, almost like fresco. It is like he is building up these simplified shapes, one next to the other, each with its own value and tone. See the subtle gradations of light across the large dome? It is like a map of feeling, of light and shadow. The composition is so satisfying, with all those horizontals and verticals playing off each other, that steeple reaching up to the sky, grounded in the earth. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi, who made hundreds of paintings of bottles and jars. Both artists were after something beyond the mere surface of things, digging into the metaphysical heart of seeing.