Bell Tower 1923

Edward Hopper, he of that iconic diner painting, made this watercolour, "Bell Tower," on paper, and it is a symphony in muted tones. Looking at the washes of color, I can almost feel Hopper’s hand moving across the page, the water and pigment mingling, sometimes controlled, sometimes not. I imagine Hopper, standing before this slice of American life, trying to capture the essence of the buildings and the stark light. The bell tower itself—a vertical assertion amid the horizontality of the other buildings. I wonder what he was thinking about while painting those windows, or the stark white clockface? These quiet, everyday scenes are so powerful. His work reminds me of Fairfield Porter's—that same interest in light and shadow, and a similar kind of quietness. Painters are always looking at each other, borrowing and building on what came before. The conversation never ends, thankfully, and Hopper still speaks to us today.