High Noon 1949

Edward Hopper, an American painter, made this stark oil painting named High Noon sometime in the mid-20th century. Hopper was so good at capturing the feeling of a moment, even a mundane one, like staring at a house on a sunny day. The way Hopper lays down the paint is so interesting. It’s not about blending, but more about these crisp edges, like the shadow slicing across the house. You can almost feel the flatness of the house, the dryness of the air. The starkness of the house and the blue sky makes it feel so lonely. Look at the way the white of the house bounces off the light. It's not just white, it's a cool white, a detached white. The redness of the chimney and the trim on the bottom edge of the house also stand out. This is all balanced by the long grass in the foreground and the woman at the door. Is she coming or going? What time of day is it really? Hopper gives us so much, but leaves so much unsaid. Hopper reminds me a little of Giorgio de Chirico, another artist who could make buildings seem like they have their own silent story to tell.