Manhattan Bridge Loop 1928

Edward Hopper made this painting, Manhattan Bridge Loop, with oil on canvas. Look at how he builds the image from these big shapes. It's almost like a collage, right? The materiality is key: thick paint, almost crusty in places. You can see the hand of the artist, the way he's dragged the brush across the surface. Take that vertical lamppost on the right. See how it anchors the whole composition and those carefully placed highlights suggest the curvature of the glass. Hopper's all about these quiet, lonely moments. It reminds me a little of Giorgio de Chirico's cityscapes, but with a distinctly American flavor. It's a painting that leaves you with more questions than answers. Which I think is a good thing.