New York Movie 1939

Edward Hopper made this painting, "New York Movie," using oil on canvas, and he wasn't trying to dazzle us with brushwork. The surface is smooth, like he's trying to hide the fact that it’s a painting. The colors here are muted, like old velvet – deep reds, browns, and a kind of anxious yellow glow. I imagine Hopper, standing in a movie theater, trying to see everything at once, trying to freeze the feeling of being alone in a crowd. He often painted figures in urban settings, people caught in moments of introspection. And I wonder, what was he thinking when he added that lone figure of the usher leaning against the wall? It's like she’s a painting within a painting, stuck between the drama of the screen and her own private thoughts. Hopper’s paintings weren't necessarily about telling stories; they were about capturing a feeling, a mood, a moment of suspended animation. Just like the movies, right? That feeling of being transported and stuck at the same time.