D. & R. G. Locomotive 1925

Edward Hopper made this watercolour painting of a locomotive, probably sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The way he's approached the subject matter is interesting; it feels like he's trying to find the essence of the train and the landscape, through the process of painting itself. The paint handling is loose, and there's a feeling of transparency, which really heightens the atmospheric quality of the piece. Look at the way he's handled the wheels, they're not precise, but they suggest the weight and the mechanics of the train. It's like the marks themselves are echoing the movement. Hopper's use of colour, the blues, greens, and grays, evoke a sense of industrial landscape, but there's also something romantic about it. I think Hopper was looking at painters like John Singer Sargent, in terms of his watercolour technique, but he brought his own unique vision to it. It's a reminder that art is always about dialogue, between artists, across time, and embracing the multiple meanings and possibilities that emerge in the process.